Tennessee’s special congressional race could be tight. Here’s who’s running

Tuesday’s special congressional election could be a much tighter race than anticipated.

Republicans swept Tennessee’s 7th congressional district by 22 points last year, but polling by Emerson College finds that only two points separate Democrat Aftyn Behn and Republican Matt Van Epps. Van Epps leads 48% to Behn’s 46%, the poll found, while 5% of respondents were undecided.

Female voters and voters under the age of 40 prefer Behn, the Emerson poll found, while Van Epps performed better with men and older voters.

John Geer, Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University and co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll, said he’s skeptical of polling in a race with such a short runway. However, he sees other indicators that the 7th district is more competitive this year.

“You have the Repu