Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District is currently represented by Republican Matt Van Epps, a former Army aviator and state cabinet official who won a December 2025 special election after Representative Mark Green resigned mid-term. The district stretches across west-central Tennessee, taking in parts of Nashville, the city of Clarksville, the fast-growing suburbs south of Nashville, and roughly 30 counties reaching toward the Tennessee River.
Where the District Is and Who Lives There
The 7th covers about 5,900 square miles with a population of roughly 816,000 and a median household income of about $79,200.1Census Reporter. Congressional District 7, TN It includes all or part of around 30 counties, among them Davidson (Nashville), Montgomery (Clarksville), Williamson (Franklin and Brentwood), Rutherford (Murfreesboro), Maury (Columbia), and Sumner (Gallatin and Hendersonville), along with many smaller rural counties to the west.2U.S. Census Bureau. Congressional District 7, Tennessee (118th Congress)
The current boundaries were drawn in the Republican-led 2022 redistricting cycle, which split Davidson County across three congressional districts for the first time in well over a century. Nashville had been a reliable Democratic stronghold under its previous map, and Democratic Representative Jim Cooper cited the new lines as his reason for not seeking reelection to the Nashville-anchored 5th District.3CNN. Tennessee Redistricting Map The 7th absorbed parts of Nashville including West Nashville, North Nashville, and Germantown, while the rest of Davidson County was divided between the 5th and 6th Districts.4WPLN News. Republican-Led Redistricting Effort Passes Congressional Map Splicing Davidson Into Three Districts The redrawn map was projected to shift Tennessee’s delegation from 7–2 Republican to 8–1.
The Cook Political Report rates the district R+11, and Donald Trump carried it by 22 points in 2024.5Cook Political Report. TN-07 Race Rating
Why the Seat Opened in 2025
Mark Green, a Republican and former Army flight surgeon, held the seat from 2019 until his resignation on July 20, 2025.6Nashville Banner. Congressman Mark Green Resigns, Special Election He chaired the House Homeland Security Committee and had initially planned to retire at the end of the 118th Congress before reversing course at Donald Trump’s urging.7NOTUS. Mark Green Reveals Why He Left Congress He stepped down after the House finished work on a reconciliation bill, calling the move a “business decision” and saying he wanted “a break.”
Green’s post-congressional venture quickly drew scrutiny. Prosimos, an LLC he co-founded with attorney and lobbyist Marc Hebert to help American companies compete for infrastructure projects overseas, was incorporated the same week the pair met with potential competitors in Washington.8Nashville Banner. Mark Green Retirement, Marc Hebert, Prosimos Hebert had lobbied on issues before the Homeland Security Committee while Green chaired it. In late February 2026, two companies sued Green and Hebert in Florida, alleging the pair used confidential trade information to compete for a Guyanese fuel supply agreement and implied they could influence the plaintiffs’ deal while Green was still in Congress.9Stabroek News. Refined Fuels Deal at Centre of US Lawsuit Green’s wife had also filed for divorce in 2024 after publicly accusing him of an affair, though Green said the personal matters played no role in his resignation.6Nashville Banner. Congressman Mark Green Resigns, Special Election
The December 2025 Special Election
Eleven Republicans entered the primary to replace Green, with the field narrowing to a handful of serious contenders including Matt Van Epps, state Representative Jody Barrett, attorney Gino Bulso (who put $500,000 of his own money into his campaign), and Lee Reeves (who withdrew four days before the vote).10Tennessee Lookout. How Tuesdays Primaries for the 7th Congressional District Played Out The Club for Growth spent roughly $700,000 on ads attacking Barrett. Van Epps picked up a late endorsement from Donald Trump along with the backing of Governor Bill Lee, and won the primary with about 51.6 percent of roughly 36,000 ballots cast.
The general election matched Van Epps against Democratic state Representative Aftyn Behn of East Nashville, who ran on eliminating Tennessee’s grocery sales tax, housing affordability, and healthcare.11Tennessee Lookout. Whither Tennessees 7th Congressional District in the Midterms What looked like a routine race in a deep-red district turned competitive, and the Cook Political Report briefly downgraded it from “Solid Republican” to “Lean Republican.”12Nashville Banner. Donald Trump District 7, Matt Van Epps, Aftyn Behn Super PACs poured about $7 million into the contest, with roughly $2.3 million from Republican-aligned groups (including nearly $1.2 million from MAGA Inc. and $1 million from the Club for Growth and Conservatives for American Excellence combined) and about $1.8 million from Democratic-aligned groups.13Tennessee Lookout. Super PACs Have Now Spent $7 Million in Middle TN US House Special Election More than two-thirds of general-election spending went to negative advertising, and the MAGA Inc. expenditure was the Trump-aligned super PAC’s first since the 2024 presidential race.14PBS NewsHour. Republican Matt Van Epps Wins House Special Election in Tennessee Trump hosted a tele-rally for Van Epps on November 13, 2025, calling him “a star” and “a true America First patriot.”
On December 2, 2025, Van Epps won with 97,034 votes (53.9 percent) to Behn’s 81,109 (45.1 percent), a margin of about nine points on roughly 180,000 total votes.15The New York Times. Results, Tennessee US House 7 Special The result held the seat for Republicans but represented a 13-point swing toward Democrats compared with Trump’s 22-point margin in the district a year earlier. Van Epps was sworn in two days later, on December 4, 2025.16Nashville Banner. Matt Van Epps Tennessee Congress Special Election
Who Matt Van Epps Is
Van Epps graduated from West Point in what became known as the “Class of 9/11” and served ten years on active duty as an Army aviator, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. He flew Apache and Chinook helicopters with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment before joining the Tennessee Army National Guard, where he reached the rank of lieutenant colonel.17Office of Congressman Matt Van Epps. About Congressman Van Epps In state government, he served as Tennessee’s Commissioner of General Services and as deputy chief operating officer in the governor’s office. He holds a master’s in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and lives in Nashville.
In the House, Van Epps sits on the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.18Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Matt Van Epps Committee Assignments Through late June 2026, he had sponsored five bills, cosponsored 60, and cast all 277 recorded roll call votes without missing one.19GovTrack. Matt Van Epps His sponsored legislation leans on his military background and includes the Major Non-NATO Ally Terror Threat Assessment Act, which was reported favorably out of committee by a 28–2 vote in June 2026, along with bills on critical infrastructure airspace, National Guard benefits, Gold Star families, and biological data. He holds a 98 percent score from Heritage Action.20Heritage Action. Rep. Matt Van Epps Scorecard His voting record includes support for the SAVE America Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration, and restrictions on SNAP benefits for sugary drinks and candy, along with opposition to the Ukraine Support Act and to extending Temporary Protected Status for Haiti.
On his campaign website, Van Epps describes an “America First” platform aligned with Trump, emphasizing border security, veterans’ issues, cryptocurrency and AI regulation, agricultural deregulation, opposition to gender-affirming surgery for minors, and support for Israel.21Matt for TN. Issues
The 2026 Election
Van Epps is running for a full term in 2026 and faces no Republican primary challenger. Aftyn Behn announced in January 2026 that she would not run again, despite having $465,000 remaining in her campaign account.11Tennessee Lookout. Whither Tennessees 7th Congressional District in the Midterms Four Democrats filed instead: state Representative Vincent Dixie, businessman Darden Copeland, former Metro Councilmember Saletta Holloway, and teacher Joshua Sales. Two independents, Andrew Koontz and Lowell Reynolds, are also on the general-election ballot.22Nashville Banner. Tennessee Redistricting District 7, Matt Van Epps Challengers The Democratic primary is scheduled for August 6, 2026. Despite the tighter-than-expected 2025 result, the Cook Political Report rates the 2026 race as “Solid Republican” and notes it is “very unlikely that Van Epps will face a competitive race in November” given the district’s partisan lean.5Cook Political Report. TN-07 Race Rating