A congressional special election in Tennessee has become the latest battleground for Democrats and Republicans seeking to craft a winning message ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Historically, Tennessee's 7th Congressional District is a fairly conservative district that gave President Trump roughly 60% of the vote last November. Former Rep. Mark Green, who resigned in July, won by a similar margin.

But in more recent history, Democrats have overperformed their 2024 margins in special elections this year by an average of 13% and are coming off a string of high-profile victories in races up and down the ballot last month.

That dynamic means the race between Republican former state Department of General Services Commissioner Matt Van Epps and Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn has captured

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