Republican Matt Van Epps narrowly prevailed Tuesday in a special election for a Tennessee district that President Donald Trump carried by 22 points last year, a result that has the GOP increasingly worried about the party's prospects in the 2026 midterms as voters take out their growing anger over high living costs.
Van Epps defeated Democratic candidate Aftyn Behn in the US House race by roughly nine points, a strikingly narrow margin for a district that Republican Mark Green—who resigned from Congress over the summer—won by 21 points last year.
Behn placed affordability, which Trump has called a Democratic "scam," at the center of her bid to represent Tennessee's 7th Congressional District, replicating the playbooks of recently successful Democratic campaigns across the country.
"I don’t care what political party you belong to, but if you are upset about the cost of living and the chaos of Washington, then I’m your candidate, and I welcome you with open arms," Behn said during the race, which drew national attention and millions of dollars in spending.
The Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF), which backed Behn—a supporter of abortion rights—said late Tuesday that "the lesson from Aftyn’s campaign is clear: Voters are looking for leaders who will put healthcare affordability over billionaire special interests."
"Every day that President Trump and his backers are in power, people suffer," said Alexis McGill Johnson, PPAF's president and CEO. "They’re seeing healthcare costs rise, abortion bans in 20 states, and health center closures leading to longer wait times and distances to get care—all worsening the healthcare crisis the Trump administration created."
Notably, while Van Epps embraced Trump, much of the Republican messaging in the race focused on attacking Behn as a "radical" rather than championing the president's economic agenda, which voters across the country blame for driving up costs. Behn, who received over 115% of the 2022 Democrat nominee's vote total, said that Republicans were attacking her because "they don't have a plan to make healthcare more affordable."
The GOP scramble to defend a deep-red seat was seen by both Republicans and Democrats as a possible signal of what's to come in next year's midterms. One House Republican, speaking anonymously, told Politico that "tonight is a sign that 2026 is going to be a bitch of an election cycle."
Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement that "what happened tonight in Tennessee makes it clear: Democrats are on offense and Republicans are on the ropes."
"Aftyn Behn’s overperformance in this Trump +22 district is historic and a flashing warning sign for Republicans heading into the midterms. Aftyn centered her campaign on lowering grocery, housing, and healthcare costs for Tennessee families," said Martin. "The fact that Republicans spent millions to protect this Trump +22 district and still lost so much ground should have the GOP shaking in their boots."
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