FRANKLIN, Tenn. — The crowd milling around the sleek multimillion-dollar barn full of gleaming vintage cars was already a snapshot of the Republican elite in Tennessee. There were donors, state representatives, five members of Congress, the governor and the candidate for the state’s House special election Tuesday, Matt Van Epps.

Then House Speaker Mike Johnson, who flew in from Washington early Monday, called President Donald Trump and put his phone on speaker.

“The whole world is watching Tennessee right now, and they’re watching your district,” Trump said, his voice crackling over the phone. The election, he added, “has got to show that the Republican Party is stronger than it’s ever been.”

The phone call, coupled with the convergence of political heavyweights, underscored just how mu

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