Welp. It turns out being an insane radical who bullies ICE and hates the people you want to represent isn't a winning strategy for the Democrats in Tennessee.
At least, not yet.
With most of the vote counted, Van Epps won 54 percent of the vote and Behn received 45 percent. This represents a 13-point shift to the Democrats compared to one year ago.
A comfortable win, but a little too close for a district that was Trump +22 in 2024.
Democrats can smell the blood in the water:
Even the commenter bros know something smells rotten in Denmark Nashville:
This special election was a midterms preview, and midterms usually go poorly for the party in power, so Republicans should probably get out there and pass legislation (instead of writing strongly worded letters) before they lose the power to do so.
The Nashville libs weren't feeling that silver lining after yesterday's loss, though:
Behn herself, who LOVES Nashville so much, dressed up like she was performing at the Grand Ole Opry:
From NBC News:
Republican Matt Van Epps has won a hotly contested special election for a deep-red congressional seat in Tennessee, NBC News projects, seeing off a Democratic challenge for the longtime GOP district.
Though President Donald Trump carried the 7th Congressional District by 22 points in 2024, Republican super PACs poured millions into defending the seat as Van Epps faced off against Aftyn Behn, a Democratic state representative. Democrats spent almost as much trying to capture it, as Trump's political standing has taken a hit this year and the Democratic Party made gains in November elections in New Jersey, Virginia and other states.
I'll leave you with Scott Jenning's analysis:
I have a feeling the Tennessee version of Beto O'Rourke is going to keep appearing on the national scene like a specter when you least expect her. Democrats only ever fail upward.
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