Image Credit: @MichaelLotfi / X
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
In a tightly packed race where millions of dollars from out-of-state PACs were funneled into the district, Matt Van Epps has clinched victory in the GOP special primary to replace Congressman Mark Green in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District.
While Van Epps competed against eight other candidates (two suspended their campaigns right before the election) and managed to secure approximately 51.6% of the GOP primary vote, the Democrat race was much closer with only four candidates, each of them receiving more than 7,000 votes. (Full election results below).
Van Epps was also granted an endorsement by President Trump just four days before election day despite complaints filed against him and questions about his past tenure as Gov. Lee’s “Covid Czar”.
In his victory speech, Van Epps said the endorsement, “made the difference, and I will never forget it. In Congress I’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with President Trump to advance our America First agenda.”
As the Republican nominee, Van Epps will now face Democrat Aftyn Behn (current State Representative for District 51), in the Dec. 2 general election to determine which candidate will head to Washington D.C.
Second place GOP candidate Rep. Jody Barrett gave his concession speech to a crowd of grassroots supporters during his watch party. “This was all about being obedient and going out and being the best we could to serve this community. Thank you for your support, thank you for your vote, thank you for your prayers, it means the world to me and my family. And hey, let’s keep giving the liberals a kick in the you-know-what,” he joked.
In speaking to The Tennessee Conservative (TTC) about the race, Barrett thanked TTC readers saying, “I could feel their support. I certainly felt it online, through social media messaging and that sort of thing. I really appreciated their prayers and their support all along the way.”
And regarding his plans for the next session in the General Assembly, Barrett relayed, “We certainly have a good slate of bills left over from the end of last session, and then been working on ideas all summer long, too, we’ve heard from constituents. So, we’ll have some good stuff coming up in January as well.”
Total Number of Votes Cast in D7: 67,856
Total Number of Republican Votes: 36,854
Total Number of Democrat Votes: 31,002
Republican Candidates:
Matt Van Epps- 19,001 votes; ~ 51.6% of GOP vote
Jody Barrett- 9,335 votes; ~ 25.3% of GOP vote
Gino Bulso- 4,004 votes; ~ 10% of GOP vote
Lee Reeves (suspended campaign, endorsed Matt Van Epps)- 1,929 votes; ~ 5.2% of GOP vote
Mason Foley- 1,022 votes; ~ 2.8% of GOP vote
Stewart Parks- 595 votes; ~ 1.6% of GOP vote
Jason Knight- 381 votes; ~ 1% of GOP vote
Stuart Cooper- 239 votes; ~ 0.65% of GOP vote
Tres Wittum- 133 votes; ~ 0.4% of GOP vote
Joe Leurs (suspended campaign, endorsed Jody Barrett)- 122 votes; ~ 0.3% of GOP vote
Adolph Agbeko Dagan- 93 votes; ~ 0.25% of GOP vote
Democrat Candidates:
Aftyn Behn- 8,648 votes; ~ 27.9% of DEM vote
Darden Hunter Copeland- 7,716 votes; ~ 24.9% of DEM vote
Bo Mitchell- 7,492 votes; ~ 24.2% of DEM vote
Vincent Dixie- 7,146 votes; ~ 23% of DEM vote
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
Figures the GOP establishment candidate won. I doubt I’ll vote for him in the general election.