Matt Van Epps, a former commissioner in Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s administration, won a crowded Republican primary Tuesday (September 7, 2025) in the special election to replace a GOP congressman who left office this summer. Van Epps, who received endorsement from President Donald Trump, bagged the win and came in after in-person early voting ended.
According to news agency AP, as many as 11 Republicans were on the ballot for the the seat in the state’s solidly red 7th Congressional District vacated by former US Rep. Mark Green. The two among them, including State Rep. Lee Reeves, suspended their campaigns after Trump weighed in, and they likewise endorsed Van Epps.
The December 2, 2025, general election could gauge the popularity of the US president’s second-term agenda, especially with suburban Republican voters. The seat is one of three districts that GOP lawmakers drew as safely red in 2022 by dividing left-leaning Nashville, as reported by AP. Its voters elected Green by 21 percentage points in 2024 and by nearly 22 points in 2022.
During the primary campaign, Van Epps banked upon his military experience, including as a Tennessee Army National Guard lieutenant colonel and as an Army Special Operations helicopter pilot. State Reps. Jody Barrett and Gino Bulso were among the competitors he defeated. Trump’s backing followed Van Epps’ prior endorsements from Lee, Green, and US Rep. Jim Jordan.
The 7th Congressional District spans 14 counties, bordering both Kentucky and Alabama. Along with parts of Nashville, it includes rural areas, wealthy suburbs and part of a military installment, Fort Campbell. Outside groups spent more than $3.1 million on the race, almost all on the GOP side, with about $1.1 million opposing Barrett.
The special election offered state House members an enticing chance to run for Congress without forfeiting their seats or running simultaneous races. Of its nine seats in the U.S. House, Tennessee currently has one Democrat, Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis. Republican redistricting in 2022 allowed the GOP to flip another Democratic seat that was drawn to include only part of Nashville.
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