Early voting begins today in the special election for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District. The early voting period will end on Wednesday, Nov. 26. Election Day will be Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Republican Matt Van Epps and Democrat Aftyn Behn are vying for the seat vacated by former U.S. Rep. Mark Green in July. Four other independent candidates (Teresa "Terri" Christie, Bobby Dodge, Robert James Sutherby and Jon Thorp) are also on the ballot.
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Van Epps, former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services, was endorsed by President Donald Trump and Gov. Bill Lee and is Green's personal choice as a replacement for the seat.
Behn, the state representative for District 51, won in a crowded Democratic primary field on Oct. 7, earning national media attention as a potential Democratic upset for the seat overall. Recently, Democrats have targeted these off-cycle elections as a way to flip the close margins in Congress.
The 7th Congressional District is made up of all or parts of Benton, Cheatham, Davidson, Decatur, Dickson, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Perry, Robertson, Stewart, Wayne and Williamson counties. The district was redrawn in 2022 as part of state Republicans' efforts to gerrymander Nashville out of Democratic representation. Green won reelection to the seat one year ago, defeating Democratic challenger Megan Barry by more than 20 percentage points.
The Tennessee secretary of state's office has more information here on how to vote early in each county.
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
