Tennessee Special Election Candidates Hold Dueling Rallies in 11th-Hour Push for Support

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn.—High-profile Republicans flew to Tennessee on Dec. 1 to boost support for candidate Matt Van Epps, one day before the special election for the state’s Seventh Congressional District seat.

Epps, Democratic nominee Aftyn Behn, and four independent candidates are hoping to win the vacant U.S. House seat after Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) retired to take a job in the private sector.

The GOP’s multi-county, boots-on-the-ground effort on Monday consisted of door knocking and two rallies across the district, featuring appearances by party powerhouses such as Speaker of the U.S. House Mike Johnson (R-La.), Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters, and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).

While Republicans got together for the 11th-hour, in-person push, Behn ran mostly virtual campaign events on election eve.

Hundreds of Epps supporters filled the inside of a large barn in Franklin, Tennessee, during an early-morning rally on Dec. 1, despite temperatures in the high 20s and an 8 a.m. start time.

“I got up at 4:45 this morning in D.C. because I am fired up for this race,” Johnson shared on Monday morning.

Johnson suggested that if voters elect Behn, she will be a “rubber stamp” for U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

“You got a radical on the ballot, I can’t hardly believe it!” Johnson said.

“I thought Tennessee was deep red. How did that happen?”

Johnson then pulled out his phone and told the audience he wanted to “call a friend,” which was President Donald Trump.

“Mister President, I got a bunch of friends out here for you in Nashville, Tennessee,” Johnson said as the audience of hundreds of people cheered.

Trump revealed that he had asked to attend the rally on Monday morning to support Epps, but the Secret Service declined that request because there wasn’t enough time to put a security plan in place if he were to show up.

In the phone call, which was played on speaker, Trump praised Epps for being “everything” that MAGA represents while criticizing Behn’s platform.

“She actually said she’s against Christianity,” he said. “She’s against country music. She’s totally for transgender for everybody. She’s totally for open borders and that mess, and so I just want to tell you, Van Epps is great. You’ll never have a candidate that’s better.”

Behn denied Trump’s accusations in a statement to the Epoch Times on Dec. 1.

“Donald Trump is once again lying because he is panicking about his tanking approval numbers as Tennessee voters hold him accountable for his failed economic policies that are raising their costs, while lowering taxes for their billionaire donors,” the Behn campaign wrote.

“Aftyn Behn’s affordability message—to lower grocery costs, housing costs, and health care costs—is resonating with voters of all political stripes, which is why this race is now tied.”

After the rally, Republican volunteers headed out to knock on doors in Williamson County, which happened at the same time as Behn’s door-to-door efforts. The Epps campaign held two rallies on Dec. 1, 2025, ahead of the Tennessee special election. (Jacki Thrapp/The Epoch Times )

Both the Epps campaign and Behn campaign had volunteers knocking on doors primarily in Franklin (Williamson County) and Clarksville (Montgomery County).

The Epoch Times attempted to drop into the Behn campaign’s canvassing efforts, which were scheduled for Monday afternoon at the Williamson County Democratic Party headquarters in downtown Franklin, but was turned away.

The Williamson County Democratic Party declined to comment on campaign activities.

Aside from door-knocking, the Behn campaign focused on digital efforts like holding a remote phone bank and “Zoom Rally” with Ocasio-Cortez and former Vice President Al Gore.

The Epps campaign held its second rally of the day in Clarkesville, the fifth-largest city in Tennessee.

Attendees at the evening rally included RNC Chairman Joe Gruters, state Sen. Bill Powers, and state Rep. Aron Maberry.

Epps has 48 percent of voter support in the district and Behn holds 46 percent, according to an Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey released on Nov. 26.

The Epps campaign spent Monday’s rallies criticizing Behn for her 2020 remarks that she hated Nashville, country music, and tourism, saying that she doesn’t support Tennessee values.

“Matt is focused on getting inflation down, getting the cost of living down, making certain health care is more affordable, and fighting crime. And making certain that illegal aliens are deported,” Blackburn said during Monday morning’s rally in Franklin.

“And his wild-eyed self-described ‘radical’ opponent believes that men can have babies and that boys should be in girls’ sports.”

Behn defended immigrant and LGBT families when she announced she was running for Congress.

“Our country is broken. Our systems are broken,” Behn said in her campaign announcement on July 9.

“And the billionaires and corrupt politicians who broke them are getting richer than ever, while pointing the finger at immigrants and trans kids to distract us from who’s really to blame.”

Meanwhile, her campaign has not heavily featured immigration or transgender-related issues. One of her most recent ads highlighted some of the same issues that her Republican rival Epps is also running on, like grocery prices and housing affordability.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Dec. 2.

Voters will face chilly conditions as a wintry mix of rain, sleet, and snow is expected in the district, with Nashville only set to reach a high of 36 degrees.