All posts tagged "Matt Van Epps"

A political analyst has suggested there could be a draft of "resignations and retirements" in the GOP following the close race in Tennessee.

Though the Republican Party's Matt Van Epps would ultimately win the seat, the close margin by which he did so could be a cause for concern in the GOP. Epps defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn in the congressional special election with the race called by The Associated Press.

Van Epps held a 52% to 46% lead, and it's a close margin that expert Sam Seder believes will lead to a wave of departures from the Republican Party. Speaking with Molly Jong-Fast, he said, "I'm convinced that if Bain gets in there, within four or five points, or wins for that matter..."...

An analyst on Monday was stunned by how close a special election race has gotten in Tennessee — a deep red state — as a Democratic candidate shows significant strides in polling just hours before voting begins.

Political analyst David Chalian told CNN that Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn has focused on affordability in the tight race in Tennessee's seventh congressional district, which could show major shifts in the historically Republican-led state.

"Listen, the fact that we are even talking about this race is bananas, right?" Chalian said. "Donald Trump won the district a year ago by 22 percentage points. But we're talking about it because not just this district. We've seen in all the special elections for the House this year, significant Democratic overperformance; now it would have to be turbocharged, and it would be a political earthquake if she ends up the winner in this ruby red district. But, you know, she's taking a 22-point district and getting both sides to spend millions of dollars to say, 'Hey, this is actually competitive.' That shows you the political climate that we're in right now."...

A special election in a deep red state is "scaring" Republicans, who are pulling out multiple tactics in a "last-minute rescue mission" to try and "avoid embarrassment," an analyst said Monday.

The GOP is expected to use third-party groups to try and make gains in Tennessee's deep-red 7th congressional district ahead of the Dec. 2 election, as Democrats hope that the Epstein files will pull Republicans from supporting Republican Matt Van Epps and instead push them to cast their votes for Democrat Aftyn Behn, The Down Ballot's Jeff Singer reports. Epps and Behn are vying for the seat left vacant by Rep. Mark Green, a Republican, that could ultimately flip a House seat.

"Republicans tracking the race say Van Epps is ahead, but not by as much as they would like," Axios senior political reporter Alex Isenstadt reports. ...

Democrats are hoping to flip a House seat in a deep red state, eyeing Trump country in an upcoming special election to replace retired GOP Rep. Mark Green.

Early voting began Wednesday for Tennessee’s 7th District, an area including a large part of Nashville and spanning from the borders of Kentucky and Alabama, Politico reports Thursday. Trump carried the district by more than 20 points in November 2024 and now Democrats are seeing the recent election day gains last week as a potential path to victory.

“It really feels like there’s so much momentum on the ground,” Democratic nominee and Tennessee state representative Aftyn Behn told Politico. “The national attention is on this race and on Tennessee.”...