The 2025 special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District took place on December 2, 2025, to fill the open seat in the district. Candidates had until October 7, 2025, to enter the Tennessee Election 2025. In the general election, Republican Matt Van Epps defeated Aftyn Behn and will serve in the United States House of Representatives for the remainder of the 119th United States Congress, which concludes on January 3, 2027.
The vacancy arose on July 20, 2025, following the resignation of Republican Mark Green, who transitioned to a private sector role. Green’s resignation came after he voted to support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Primary elections were held on October 7, where Republican Matt Van Epps and Democrat Aftyn Behn won their respective primaries. Read more about the Tennessee Election Results 2025 in this article.
Tennessee Election Results 2025
The 7th Congressional District Special Election 2025 is characterised as a mixed urban-rural area, encompassing parts of Nashville that are predominantly Democratic, including downtown, two universities, Belmont and Vanderbilt, and the majority-black precincts of the city. The surrounding counties, such as Cheatham, Dickson, Robertson, and Williamson, are generally affluent and primarily consist of majority-white exurbs and suburbs.
Notably, Franklin stands out as a wealthy Republican suburban stronghold. Montgomery County, which is centred around Clarksville, Tennessee’s fifth-largest city, exhibits a politically mixed landscape and is slightly more competitive than the district as a whole. Clarksville itself is diverse, featuring White, Black, and Hispanic populations distributed throughout the city, and the county frequently acts as a bellwether for the district.
7th Congressional District Special Election 2025- County-Wise Update
Below are the county-wise results for the s7th Congressional District Special Election 2025.
- Benton: Matt Van Epps is leading with 71.8%. Aftyn Behn has 25.9%. 50.1% of votes have been counted.
- Cheatham: Matt Van Epps is in the lead with 84.9%. Aftyn Behn is at 38.7%. 54.9% of votes have been counted.
- Davidson: Aftyn Behn has taken the lead with 84.9%. Matt Van Epps is at 14.4%. 49.7% of votes have been counted.
- Dickson: Matt Van Epps leads with 62.0%. Aftyn Behn is at 37.0%. 50.6% of votes have been counted.
- Decatur: Matt Van Epps is leading with 72.2%. Aftyn Behn is at 37.0%. 57.4% of votes have been counted.
- Hickman: Matt Van Epps leads with 70%. Aftyn Behn is at 28%. 47.1% of votes have been counted.
- Houston: Matt Van Epps is leading with 67.5%. Aftyn Behn is at 31.2%. 55.5% of votes have been counted.
- Humphreys: Matt Van Epps leads with 63.7%. Aftyn Behn is at 34.8%. 56.6% of votes have been counted.
- Montgomery: Aftyn Behn is trailing with 47.4% of the votes. Matt Van Epps has taken the lead with 51.3%. 49% of the votes have been counted.
- Perry: Matt Van Epps leads with 74.6%. Aftyn Behn is at 23.8%. 82.6% of votes have been counted.
- Robertson: Matt Van Epps leads with 66.5%. Aftyn Behn is at 32.1%. 41.4% of votes have been counted.
- Stewart: Matt Van Epps is leading with 66.6%. Aftyn Behn is at 26.4%. 63.4% of votes have been counted.
- Wayne: Matt Van Epps leads with 81.5%. Aftyn Behn is at 17.6%. 66.1% of votes have been counted.
- Williamson: Matt Van Epps is leading with 59.7%. Aftyn Behn is at 39.6%. 76.3% of votes have been counted.
Keep an eye on the new updates.
Nashville Election Results 2025
| Candidates | Party Name | Total votes | Percentage |
| Matt Van Epps | Republican Party | 96,988 | 53.9% |
| Aftyn Behn | Democratic Party | 81,044 | 45.0% |
| John Thorp | Liberal Party | 932 | 0.5% |
In the Nashville part of Davidson County, Aftyn Behn from the Democratic Party is winning with 32,933 votes.
Nashville Tennessee Election 2025
Nashville remains extremely Democratic on both a city and county basis, regardless of how the state overall votes Republican.
The 2025 special election showed how much a very Republican leaning district can have its Democratic performance influenced by the presence of strong Democratic participation in urban precincts. The urban precincts did have an impact on the margin, but not enough to change the outcome for this election.
All of the statewide results continue to show a Republican dominance (Senate, Legislature, Statewide), with urban centres such as Nashville continuing to be very strong Democratic strongholds.
Tennessee Election Results 2025–FACT CHECK
In the special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District (2025), Matt Van Epps (Republican) defeated Aftyn Behn (Democrat) by approximately 53.9% to Behn’s 45.0%. The election results were significantly closer than previous elections in the district, which had demonstrated Republicans winning by a margin of more than 20 points.
FAQ’s On Tennessee Election Results 2025
- Did the Democrats fare poorly in Nashville in the year 2025?
- No, the Democrats did not “tear up” Nashville in 2025. Rather, during the special election for the 7th District, the Democrat (Behn) exceeded expectations significantly more than was anticipated.
- Does Nashville vote Democratic overall?
- Yes, Nashville’s Davidson County supported the Democratic candidate to the tune of 62.7% of the vote during the 2024 Presidential election, showing him being the only candidate with the most votes from Nashville.
- Does the Democratic lean of Nashville have an effect on Tennessee statewide?
- Yes, it affects the outcomes locally (for example, Davidson County/Nashville), yet statewide, the Republicans still hold significant dominance over the state. In 2024, the Republican presidential candidate obtained 64% of the total state-wide votes.
- What does the outcome of the 2025 special election mean for future elections (i.e., 2026 midterms)?
- The outcome of the narrow Republican win indicates an increasing level of competitiveness among Democrats, especially in the urban and suburban areas that had previously been viewed as completely Republican.
