Tennessee 7th District Special Election Tightens

Voters in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District headed to the polls on Tuesday for a special election that has unexpectedly tightened into a high-stakes contest, testing Republican control of a reliably conservative seat amid national political shifts. The race to replace former Rep. Mark Green, who retired in July after winning the district with nearly 60 percent of the vote in 2022, pits Republican state Sen. Matt Van Epps against Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn in a sprawling area that stretches from the Kentucky border to Alabama and includes parts of Nashville.

What was anticipated as a straightforward victory for Republicans has drawn intense scrutiny due to recent polling showing the candidates in a statistical tie. An Emerson College survey released last week had Van Epps leading Behn by just 2 percentage points, well within the margin of error, prompting an influx of outside spending totaling more than $5.7 million from national groups. Republican-aligned political action committees have outspent Democrats $3.1 million to $2.3 million, according to media tracking firm AdImpact, as both parties vie to influence the outcome in a district President Donald Trump carried...