Democratic Nashville Reps. Vincent Dixie and Bo Mitchell are both moving toward runs for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, soon to be vacant after incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Green announced his surprise retirement from Congress on Monday. Dixie and Mitchell have both served multiple terms as state representatives from Davidson County.
Green — who once before announced his retirement in February 2024 only to reverse course en route to winning his fourth term in Congress — released a statement Monday saying he plans to step down to take a private-sector job. Just seven months ago, Green defeated former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, a Democrat, by 21 percentage points (nearly 70,000 votes). The Middle Tennessee district spans the Kentucky and Alabama borders and is one of three congressional districts that includes parts of Davidson County redrawn by state Republicans in 2022.
The news had already leaked in political circles, generating buzz as to who each party might run as a replacement. Republicans hold an eight-seat majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Announcement from Green — who flip-flopped on running in 2024 — will open the door for a special election
Though Dixie and Mitchell were both on vacation when Green formally announced he would step down, both quickly responded to the Scene’s requests for comment. Their interest sets up a potentially competitive primary that could cost Democrats time and money in an already uphill battle to flip the conservative district. Multiple party insiders — including other locally elected Democrats — prefer the party to quickly align behind a single candidate to avoid a primary, stressing the special election’s short timeline.
“I am definitely strongly considering a run at that seat — I am about 98 percent sure this is what I want to do, and I’m getting a lot of support and encouragement to do this,” Dixie tells the Scene by phone. “The people of Tennessee’s 7th District aren’t being represented. It’s time for us to unite and work together.”
Mitchell stresses his rural bona fides but stops short of an actual campaign announcement.
“I am seriously considering getting into the race,” Mitchell tells the Scene in a text message. “Growing up in rural Dickson County and now representing a district in Nashville, I think I am uniquely qualified to represent the entire district. As a family, we will discuss and make a decision in the coming days.”
On the Republican side, state Sen. Bill Powers, state Rep. Jody Barrett and former state Rep. Brandon Ogles — a cousin to sitting U.S. Rep Andy Ogles of Tennessee's 5th Congressional District — have all been reported as potential candidates. Matt Van Epps, a state commissioner and West Point graduate rumored to have been personally recruited by Green, announced his candidacy on Tuesday.
