Backing for Republican favorite Matt Van Epps and Democratic nominee Rep. Aftyn Behn is kicking into high gear in the special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District seat as the Cook Political Report sees a shift in the political landscape.
The independent, nonpartisan group moved the district to “lean Republican” from “solid Republican” this week, mainly because of an 75% decrease in GOP turnout. Democrats, in contrast, are motivated to cast ballots in early voting, according to the report.
Van Epps is trying to counter by holding a tele-town hall Thursday with President Donald Trump, whose endorsement pushed him to victory in the Republican primary.
As voters started heading to the polls this week, a Florida-based political action committee called Engage, Y’all also spent more than $64,000 supporting Behn with Facebook posts, one about the importance of the race in changing the politics in Washington, D.C., where Republicans control Congress and the White House.
In another post, the group accused Van Epps of supporting a law that increases health insurance and grocery costs while endangering nursing homes and causing more than 200,000 people to lose their health insurance.
The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Votes Action PAC spent nearly $12,500 canvassing for Behn and putting out literature.
Van Epps, in contrast, has gotten only one independent expenditure in his favor, $31,000 from Special Operations for America, since he won the Republican primary in early October.
It could be that outside groups aren’t overly concerned yet about Van Epps, former General Services commissioner for Gov. Bill Lee, losing to Behn in a gerrymandered red district.
Yet former U.S. Rep. Mark Green, whose seat they are vying to fill, complained about the rejiggered 7th District because even though it stretches from the Alabama line to Clarksville, it takes in western Davidson County — a reliably blue area — which could come back to haunt Republicans.
Van Epps, a former Army helicopter pilot, last week released his first ad of the general election campaign, saying he didn’t risk his life for America “just to watch career politicians wreck it.” In the new spot, he said his next “mission” is to lower prices, reduce health-care costs and bring in jobs.
It’s a far cry from the negative ad he directed at Behn when she bragged about going after ICE agents during a sweep for immigrants in South Nashville this year.
After casting an early vote Wednesday morning in Nashville, Van Epps spoke briefly to reporters, telling them he supports House Speaker Mike Johnson’s approach on handling the Epstein files, more or less slow-walking them through Congress.
Behn also unveiled her first campaign ad last week with a man riding a mechanical bull in slow motion and saying Washington’s system is “rigged” to help the rich with tax breaks and to bury the Epstein files. As the bull speeds up, she says regular folks get a “rough ride” because of tariffs and rising health insurance costs.
The East Nashville political organizer was supposed to have a big shindig last week with firebrand U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas. Crockett canceled at the last minute due to what her office called scheduling issues, but Behn carried on with state Sen. Charlane Oliver and Crockett dialing in.
Behn is enjoying a bit of a bounce caused by Democrats’ election wins in Virginia, New York and New Jersey a week ago. Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin canvassed with her last weekend.
The question is whether those can translate to Tennessee, where Van Epps has a built-in advantage. He got the endorsement of Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, who put out a Facebook call for support.
It remains to be seen whether he will need independent expenditures from the School Freedom Fund, which backed him in the primary with more than $62,600 as he handily defeated a cast of Republicans.
One interesting note is that U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who refused to mention her last opponent, state Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, is blasting Behn constantly. Blackburn said in posts on X, formerly Twitter, that Behn and New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist and Muslim, are “cut from the same cloth” and want to return to Soviet-era policies. She also called Behn the “AOC of Tennessee,” saying she was dressing up on Halloween as U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat constantly targeted by Republicans for liberal stances.
Typically, it’s bad form to mention an opponent’s name because it lends credibility to their candidacy. In Tennessee it would typically take a lot of mentions, but some folks are starting to sweat.
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, despite a series of foot surgeries and maladies, sounds like he’s gearing up for another campaign to serve in the District 5 Senate seat representing Anderson, Knox and Loudon counties.
McNally said Thursday, “I’ll probably make that decision a little later, but I fully planned on it.”
The Oak Ridge Republican is Tennessee’s longest-serving lawmaker. He won election to the House in 1978 and served four terms before capturing the Senate seat in 1986. He succeeded Ron Ramsey as Senate speaker and lieutenant governor in January 2017.
Amid talk that he might step away from the legislature, some senators have been jockeying for position to win the speakership for two years, especially after revelations that McNally posted comments next to risque photos on young gay men’s Instagram sites. He retained the speakership in a secret 19-7 vote in March 2023.
Retired Tennessee Highway Patrol Capt. Mark Proctor is running as a Democrat for the 59th District House seat to be vacated by Rep. Caleb Hemmer.
Proctor worked for more than 25 years in the department, leading divisions on public safety, research and planning and training, in addition to protecting four governors.
“Serving and protecting is in my DNA,” Proctor said in a release. “After 25 years in law enforcement, my mission turned even more to raising my two daughters, volunteering in their schools, and running a small business. Now, I’m ready to serve and protect again — this time in the state legislature.”
He said he will concentrate on creating safer, stronger communities, giving families a boost and ensuring access to good schools, affordable health care and economic opportunities.
The district includes South Nashville, Forest Hills, Oak Hill and Brentwood.
Republican state Sen. Kerry Roberts is being forced out of a historic Springfield home after a judge ruled in favor of a bank that called in a $4.5 million note, the Tennessee Journal reported.
Sumner County Judge Kee Bryant-McCormick made the ruling in October, despite saying she felt Knoxville-based Apex Bank took advantage of Roberts and his wife after they borrowed the money to transform the 1860s-era home into a wedding venue with pools and gardens. They used the home and Airbnb parcels for collateral.
The dispute appears to center on the maturity date of the loan, which was originally to be October 2027. Apex moved it to January 2024, then extended it to March and May.
The senator, who is represented by state Rep. Gino Bulso, contended sluggish release of funds by the bank led to construction delays and his requests for extensions. But just as the project was nearing completion and he started to schedule weddings, he received a default notice, according to the report, and after foreclosing on the property, Apex sold it to another party for $5 million.
Roberts, who filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in federal court last year, accused the bank of “predatory lending” and said he and his wife, Dianne, were heartbroken.
“It’s the place where I wanted to be buried,” he told the publication.
The bank denied the allegation and accused Roberts of trying to use his position as a senator to “intimidate judicial officials and spread misinformation.”
Roberts said he plans to appeal the ruling and file a lawsuit in Circuit Court.
Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr was hospitalized this week at Vanderbilt trauma center with multiple injuries sustained while he and his son were training horses at his Lascassas farm in Rutherford County.
He sustained nine broken ribs, a lacerated liver and semi-collapsed lung in the incident. He was taken to a hospital in Murfreesboro (where he probably had to wait forever) before being transferred to Vanderbilt.
“This is the first time that I have spent the night in the hospital in 65 years,” Carr said. “I’m glad it was from something I love.”
A press release said both horses they were training are fine.
What I’m trying to figure out is how he got this far without spending one night in a hospital. I recall sitting up all night in the Stones River Hospital emergency room in Murfreesboro when my mother got sick. Getting old is tough, mayor.
“Doctor, my eyes have seen the years / And the slow parade of fears, without crying.” *
* Jackson Browne, “Doctor My Eyes”