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Resolution criteria

The special election will be held on December 2, 2025. The winner will be determined by plurality vote. Resolution will be based on official results from the Tennessee Secretary of State (https://sos.tn.gov/elections/services/special-election-information).

Background

The seat became vacant on July 20, 2025, following the resignation of Republican Mark Green. Primary elections took place on October 7, where Republican Matt Van Epps and Democrat Aftyn Behn won their respective primaries.

Van Epps is an Army veteran-turned-businessman who most recently served as a member of Governor Bill Lee's cabinet. Van Epps holds endorsements from Gov. Bill Lee, former Rep. Mark Green, and President Donald Trump. Behn is a social worker who was recently elected to the Tennessee Legislature representing parts of Nashville.

Considerations

The 7th district is rated a solid Republican seat; Green won the seat by 20 percentage points in the two elections since it was redrawn to include parts of Nashville. However, the 7th congressional district includes parts of Nashville that are heavily Democratic, such as downtown, two universities, Belmont and Vanderbilt, and most of the city's majority-black precincts. Democrats cast 31,000 ballots in the recent Democratic primary, compared to Republicans' 36,000 in a hotly contested race, suggesting potentially higher Democratic turnout than typical for the district.