Van Epps sworn in, GOP at 220 seats; Greene exit to cut majority to 219

📌 Key Facts

• Republican Matt Van Epps won the TN-07 special election on Dec. 2, 2025 (final vote roughly 54%–45%, about a 9-point margin) and was ceremonially sworn in on the House floor Dec. 4 by Speaker Mike Johnson less than 48 hours after the victory; Van Epps pledged to advance President Trump’s “America First” agenda and was accompanied by his wife and daughter (he took the oath on his daughter’s hot‑pink Bible).
• The seat was vacated after Rep. Mark Green resigned in June; the district is strongly Republican (Green won by ~21 points in 2024 and Trump carried it by ~22).
• Van Epps’s win moved Republicans to 220 House seats; reports show Democrats at 213 with two vacancies (NJ-11 and TX-18). Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has said she will resign early next month, which would reduce the GOP to 219; special election dates cited for the vacancies include TX-18 on Jan. 31 and NJ-11 in April.
• Outside groups poured heavy money into the race — FEC/AdImpact tallies and reporting put total outside spending in TN-7 above $6.5 million, with roughly two‑thirds of super PAC spending occurring in the final two weeks; MAGA Inc. spent more than $1 million (reported as $1.5–$1.6M in some accounts) — its first campaign expenditure since last year’s presidential race — and House Majority PAC spent about $1 million for Democrat Aftyn Behn while other groups (Club for Growth, Conservatives for American Excellence, Your Community PAC) also made six‑ and seven‑figure buys.
• High‑profile surrogates and leader involvement was extensive: President Trump phoned in multiple tele‑rallies and called the district; Speaker Mike Johnson, RNC chair Joe Gruters, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Gov. Bill Lee and other GOP figures campaigned for Van Epps; Democrats sent Kamala Harris, DNC chair Ken Martin, Al Gore and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez (among others) to support Behn.
• Campaign messaging centered on affordability and taxation (AdImpact found taxation the most‑mentioned ad topic). Van Epps emphasized cost‑of‑living and his military record in closing ads; Behn’s final ads targeted grocery and health‑care costs and tariffs. Democrats also criticized Van Epps over his position on releasing Epstein‑related documents.
• Polls and turnout dynamics: an Emerson College poll showed Van Epps leading by about 2 points pre‑election; early/absentee returns were reported favoring Republicans (46%–40% in a Baker Group memo). Both parties worried that post‑Thanksgiving timing and low turnout could affect the result and ran intensive GOTV programs.

📰 Sources (13)