Republican congressional nominee Matt Van Epps greets supporters outside a polling station on Election Day in Franklin, Tennessee, on Dec. 2, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
President Donald Trump carried the 7th Congressional District — which is located in central and western Tennessee, stretches from Kentucky to Alabama, and includes parts of Nashville — by 22 points in last year's presidential election. And Green won the district by over 20 points in his 2022 and 2024 re-elections.
But Democrats were energized following the 2025 elections, and public opinion surveys suggested a close contest between Van Epps and Behn in a showdown that was seen as a key barometer ahead of next year's midterm elections, when the GOP will be defending its majority.
With votes still being counted, Van Epps was on track for an upper single digit victory.
WATCH: WHAT AFTYN BEHN TOLD FOX NEWS DIGITAL ON ELECTION EVE
Asked by Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning if he needed to win the election by a certain margin, Van Epps said, "a win is a win."
But the military combat veteran and former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services added that "we're going to press as hard as we can to win by the biggest margin we can, and then we're going to hold the majority in '26."
Behn, a state representative and former healthcare community organizer, who's been dubbed the "AOC of Tennessee" in a comparison to progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, told supporters at a local Democratic Party office in Nashville on Tuesday morning that "whatever happens, win or lose, you’ve inspired a country. You’ve shown people the South has something to say."
"For me, we've already won over the hearts and minds of so many Tennesseans and across the country," Behn told Fox News Digital minutes later when asked if she's a winner even without an election victory. "What starts here changes this country."
And she added, "I think the electorate is shifting to accept a candidate like me that has a progressive track record."
Trump, whose endorsement of Van Epps helped the candidate win a crowded and competitive primary last month, took to social media to congratulate "Van Epps on his BIG Congressional WIN."
"Another great night for the Republican Party!!!" the president said in his social media post.
But Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement, "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," Martin argued. "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. Democrats are all gas and no brakes as we head into next year, organizing everywhere and competing in elections across the country. "
DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS, GO ALL IN ON FINAL 2025 CONGRESSIONAL BALLOT BOX SHOWDOWN
With so much on the line, outside groups aligned with both parties shelled out millions of dollars to run ads in the race. And the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the rival Republican National Committee (RNC) each poured resources into the showdown, which included dispatching staffers onto the campaign trail.
House Speaker Mike Johnson spent the entire day on Election Eve with Van Epps, joining the GOP nominee at a slew of rallies and stops across the district. He was joined by RNC chair Joe Gruters.
Democratic congressional nominee Aftyn Behn speaks to supporters at a party office on Election Eve, in Franklin, Tennessee, on Dec. 1, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Republicans also took aim at Behn over an op-ed titled, "Tennessee is a racist state, and so is its legislature," that appeared in a 2019 edition of The Tennessean newspaper.
The RNC, pointing in a recent social media post to the six-year-old opinion piece, asked, "If Behn hates Tennessee so much, why is she trying to represent it?"
Also resurfacing in recent weeks are anti-police comments Behn made on a now-deleted social media account.
"Clearly, I'm living rent-free in President Trump's mind," Behn told supporters on Monday.
And asked by Fox News Digital about the incoming verbal fire from Republicans, Behn joked, "I always love to hear from my fans."
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She touted that "I have a track record of showing up in the hard fights and small fights in between, not only as an organizer and as an activist, but as a legislator."
And sticking to her key issue of tackling the high cost of living, Behn said she's "running on a very simple message of addressing the affordability crisis that Tennesseans are facing, and they [Republicans] don't have a remedy for it.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-keep-crucial-congressional-seat-gop-hands-special-election-victory