Trump-backed Republican keeps crucial congressional seat in GOP hands with special election victory | 2 Dec 2025 | Republicans will hold onto a GOP-controlled vacant congressional seat in ruby-red Tennessee after winning a hotly contested special election that grabbed plenty of national attention. Republican nominee Matt Van Epps on Tuesday defeated Democratic rival Aftyn Behn, according to the Associated Press, in the high-stakes race to succeed former GOP Rep. Mark Green, who resigned from office in June to take a private sector job. “This race was bigger than just one campaign,”Van Epps said in a statement after declaring victory. “It represented a defining moment for Tennessee and for the direction of the country.”