Matt Van Epps, a former commissioner in Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s administration, has won a crowded Republican primary in the special election to replace a GOP congressman who left office this summer.

Republican Matt Van Epps and Democratic State Rep. Aftyn Behn will face off in the Dec. 2 general election to decide who will see out the remainder of Green’s term in Tennessee’s 7 th Congressional District. Green stepped down in July.

U.S. House District 7 represents all or part of 14 counties in Middle Tennessee, including Davidson, Montgomery, and Williamson counties.

More than a dozen candidates are vying for the chance to represent Tennessee’s Seventh Congressional District, which cuts through part of Nashville. Read about the results ›

More than a dozen candidates are competing for their parties’ nominations Tuesday to fill a vacant Tennessee congressional seat in the closely divided U.S. House.

Matt Van Epps won the GOP primary for the Tennessee special election to fill the U.S. House seat left vacant by former Republican Rep. Mark Green.

A Tennessee special election to replace a Republican congressman who stepped aside this summer has attracted crowded primaries for both major parties

Tennessee Democrats picked Aftyn Behn as their nominee for a special congressional election in the Republican-leaning 7th District, with the general election set for December 2.

Matt Van Epps won the Republican nomination for a December special election in the state’s Seventh Congressional District. State Representative Aftyn Behn won the Democratic primary.

Tuesday night's election had lots of drama, including a surprise upset that turned out to be nothing, a four way neck-and-neck race, and the emergence of Montgomery County as a pivotal battleground.

The contentious primaries in the 7th congressional district special election have ended with nominees Matt Van Epps (R) and Aftyn Behn (D) moving to the Dec. 2 general election. While that battle continues it is not too early to look towards what happens next as the 2026 elections loom on the horizon.