Trump-endorsed Matt Van Epps wins GOP primary for vacant House seat in Tennessee

Matt Van Epps, a former state official who earned an endorsement from President Donald Trump last week, won the Republican nomination Tuesday in the special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District House seat, NBC News projects.

Van Epps bested 10 other Republican candidates after a primary in which all of them campaigned on their support for Trump. But Van Epps was the only one to get Trump’s backing, adding it to early endorsements from former Rep. Mark Green — the Republican who resigned from the 7th District this year — as well as Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

Van Epps now advances to the special general election for the district, which Trump carried with more than 60% of the vote last year. The 7th District ranges from the two of the richest counties in Tennessee to some of its poorest, including an Army base and part of Nashville. It has been solidly Republican for decades.

State Rep. Aftyn Behn, a community organizer and licensed social worker, won the Democratic primary in a close contest against two other state lawmakers and a businessman. She represents a deep-blue seat including downtown and east Nashville.

Democrats hope to compete in the heavily Republican seat during the special general election on Dec. 2, which is likely to see lower voter turnout than a regular election.

Van Epps, a lieutenant colonel in the Tennessee Army National Guard and a former active-duty combat pilot in the Army, hoped to appeal to voters with his platform of “security, opportunity and prosperity.” His goals include investing in infrastructure like small nuclear reactors, broadband and cellphone coverage.

In an interview before Trump’s endorsement, Van Epps said he wanted to continue Green’s work in Congress, noting his work with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

“What he did to secure the border and work with Secretary Noem and the president serves as a good way to pick up the ball and run with it from where he had it,” Van Epps said.

He said he was happy with Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Memphis, which isn’t in the 7th District, and would support additional deployments.

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Van Epps said he hoped to remain in the state guard if he is elected. He was on active duty for a decade and has been in the guard for another eight years.

After Trump announced he was backing Van Epps, a pair of Republican candidates suspended their campaigns, though they still appeared on the ballot. The field of other Republican candidates included one pardoned by Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Van Epps will face Behn in December. In a video on Instagram Monday, the new Democratic nominee said she hoped to reach voters under 45, who make up a majority of the district but were outnumbered by older voters during the two weeks of early voting.

Behn also noted she is the only woman in the race from either party, though she faced questions from fellow state Rep. Vincent Dixie — the only Black Democratic candidate — about how she would ensure Black constituents would be represented in Washington if elected, the Nashville Banner reported. She responded that she would add a full-time Black organizer for the Davidson County Democratic Party.