Republican Matt Van Epps defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn in a special election in a conservative House of Representatives district in Tennessee Tuesday night—but Democrats improved on former Vice President Kamala Harris’ showing in the district.

Why It Matters

Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District is not typically viewed as competitive, as it has easily backed President Donald Trump in each of his three presidential bids. But Democrats were hopeful that his diminishing approval rating and a flurry of special elections could bode well for them in Tuesday night’s election.

While Behn fell short of a victory, she did perform better than Democrats did in November 2024, when Trump carried the district by 22 percentage points.

The outcome also gives Republicans an extra seat in the House of Re

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