This Tennessee House Race Is Next Test Of Democratic Momentum

Democrats are reaching for a win in a deep-red district last held by Mark Green.

Democrats have all the electoral momentum in the world at the moment, and now they’re testing their luck in a Tennessee congressional district Trump carried by 22 points last year.

The special election to replace former Rep. Mark Green, a Republican who strangely retired in July to become some sort of entrepreneur, is between Democratic state legislator Aftyn Behn and Republican Matt Van Epps. It does not appear to be a toss-up, but it’s close enough to draw at least some outside investment by both the GOP and Democrats. One recent survey found Van Epps leading by 10 percentage points, which is closer than what the GOP would prefer.

“We’re cautiously excited about this race,” a national Democratic strategist who works on House races told HuffPost. “Anything even approaching a 10-point margin here is a clear sign of Democratic strength heading into 2026.”

With early voting already underway, the Dec. 2 election will be the first since off-year elections earlier this month saw Democrats sweep governor races and other contests up and down the east coast. The romp raised hopes of a “blue wave” in next year’s midterm elections, and a longshot Behn victory would cause GOP panic to hit new heights.

The stakes are significant. If Democrats can retake either the House or Senate, Republicans will lose the ability to pass partisan legislation, and Democrats will gain subpoena power they can wield against the Trump administration. Retaking the House would put impeachment on the table.