GOP Gets ‘Structural Warning’ About Tennessee Special Ele...

By Andrew Stanton

Weekend Staff Writer

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The Tennessee special election set for Tuesday becoming competitive is a "structural warning" for Republicans, according to an Impact Social analysis shared with Newsweek on Monday.

Newsweek reached out to GOP candidate Matt Van Epps and Democratic candidate Aftyn Behn for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Tennessee’s Seventh Congressional District backed President Donald Trump by more than 20 points last November and is not usually seen as competitive. But the race to replace former Representative Mark Green, who earlier this year left Congress for a private sector position, has garnered national attention as polls point to a close race.

The outcome of the special election could have key implications for control of the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a 219-213 majority. That could become even more narrow following special elections in more Democratic-leaning districts next year, and when Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, vacates her seat in January after her announced resignation. A Behn victory would further shrink the GOP’s already slim majority.

What to Know

Candidates are making their final pitches to voters in the district, comprised of parts of Nashville, Clarksville and more conservative suburban and rural areas in central Tennessee, as voters will head to the polls on Tuesday. Turnout will be key to the results. If turnout is low in the more conservative parts of the district, the race may become more competitive. But if turnout swells on Tuesday, Democrats will face a steeper climb to victory.

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Both Democrats and Republicans have invested in the race, a sign that both parties view it as potentially being competitive.

It has become so close due to the waning popularity of the president, according to the Impact Social report, which analyzed the social media discussion of Trump in Tennessee. It found that 26 percent of the discussion about Trump was positive, while 27 percent was negative. Forty-seven percent of posts were deemed neutral, such as simply sharing a news article.

"In a district where the former president should dominate online conversation, an even split reflects a meaningful shift: voters are no longer responding along predictable partisan lines," the report reads.

It pointed to frustrations over the administration’s handling of the Epstein files and the economy as reasons some conservatives are disengaged. Trump’s presence "overwhelms every race, every message and every candidate," the analysis found. He can help carry Republicans across the finish line when his popularity is strong—but when he is weak, the inverse is true.

"He is always on the ballot. Tennessee shows the same pattern—only in a place where such a dynamic should not exist. A district that voted for him by more than twenty points is now split almost evenly in sentiment. That is not a minor fluctuation; it is a structural warning," the report found.

Some voters who once supported him are now discussing him "in terms of disappointment and betrayal." This has led to "disengagement," rather than their switching sides, the analysis found.

"This is the GOP’s core vulnerability. The party has no buffer from Trump. When he rises, the party rises," the analysis states. "When he falters, the entire coalition weakens. Tennessee may stay red on election night—but the conversation underneath reveals a party tied so tightly to one man that his liabilities now spread instantly across its entire brand."

The latest independent poll of the race put Behn in striking distance of flipping the seat.

The Emerson College survey of 600 likely votes from November 22-24 showed her trailing by only two percentage point (49 percent to 47 percent) among likely voters, when undecideds were pushed. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

What People Are Saying

President Donald Trump wrote Sunday to Truth Social: "I am asking all America First Patriots in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, who haven’t voted yet, to please GET OUT AND VOTE on Election Day, Tuesday, December 2nd, for a phenomenal Candidate, Matt Van Epps. Matt is fighting against a woman who hates Christianity, will take away your guns, wants Open Borders, Transgender for everybody, men in women’s sports, and openly disdains Country music. She said all of these things precisely, and without question—IT’S ON TAPE! Do not take this Race for granted. The Radical Left Democrats are spending a fortune to beat one of the best Candidates we’ve ever had, Matt Van Epps! You can win this Election for Matt. GET OUT AND VOTE FOR MATT VAN EPPS, who has my Complete and Total Endorsement—HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!"

Amy Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report, wrote to X: "How much of a drag is Trump for House GOPers? Even in TN-07, a Trump +22 CD, none of the GOP ads have mentioned Trump or electing a Rep. to keep his agenda going. Instead, they all attack the Dem. Why does this matter? It means that R’s go into ‘26 in a purely defensive posture."

What Happens Next

Forecasters give Van Epps an advantage. Both the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball classify the race as "Likely Republican." Election Day is set for Tuesday December 2.

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