Mason Foley
Mason Foley (Republican Party) ran in a special election to the U.S. House to represent Tennessee's 7th Congressional District. He lost in the special Republican primary on October 7, 2025.
2025 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the October 7, 2025, Republican primary as a battleground race. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.
Matt Van Epps defeated 10 other candidates to win the Republican special primary election for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District on October 7, 2025. The general election will be held on December 2, 2025.[1]
The special election will fill the vacancy Mark Green (R) left when he resigned on July 20, 2025, to take a job in the private sector.[2]
WPLN News' Marianna Bacallao wrote leading up to the primary, "The Republican side of the race is crowded with 11 men vying for the GOP nomination, the majority of whom have aligned themselves with President Donald Trump in campaign materials."[3] Compared to the Democratic primary, Nashville Banner's Sarah Grace Taylor said, "The Republican primary may be even more complex to predict, with a crowded field of similar candidates lacking big-name contenders."[4] The last Democrat to represent the district was Ed Jones, who last represented the district in 1983.[5]
Jody Barrett, Gino Bulso, Lee Reeves and Van Epps led in media attention and polling ahead of the election.[4][6] Stewart Parks also gained media attention stemming from his attendance at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.[7] At the time of the election, Barrett, Bulso, and Reeves were state representatives. Parks was a real estate developer, and Van Epps was an Army combat veteran.[3]
Van Epps was a combat veteran and West Point graduate.[8] Gov. Bill Lee (R) appointed Van Epps commissioner for the Tennessee Department of General Services in 2024, and Van Epps resigned in June 2025 to run in this election.[9] Green endorsed Van Epps, calling him "a decorated combat veteran, a relentless fighter, a principled conservative, and exactly the kind of leader the 7th District wants as its voice in Washington."[10] In his campaign announcement, Van Epps said, "It’s time to secure the border, protect our values and put Tennessee first."[3]
Barrett was first elected to represent House District 69 in 2022. Barrett highlighted his perfect score on Tennessee Stands' legislative report card, and his campaign website said he was "graded the most conservative legislator in Tennessee history."[11][12] He ran on his record as a state representative, and his campaign website said, "He has consistently stood up for life, defended the Second Amendment, backed law enforcement, and fought back against radical leftist ideology infiltrating our schools, our borders, and our way of life. He is Tennessee-First and America-First."[12]
Bulso was first elected to represent House District 61 in 2022. He ran on his record as a state representative, and his campaign website stated, "In the state legislature, Gino has led the charge in supporting President Trump’s America First agenda. He championed the TRUMP Act to end taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal immigrants, sponsored a ban on sanctuary cities, and blocked Chinese Communist Party-linked entities from buying Tennessee farmland. He defended girls’ sports from woke gender ideology, safeguarded medical freedom during the COVID era, and stood strong for constitutional carry and Second Amendment rights."[13]
Parks, a real estate developer, was arrested on June 3, 2021, in relation to his attendance at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.[14] His campaign website said, "To be able to serve in Congress – to fight for America First and for President Trump’s agenda – after being deprived of my own freedom and thrown into prison by the corrupt Biden Administration, would send the perfect message to the elite political establishment."[15] On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump (R) pardoned Parks among a group of about 1,500 individuals convicted of crimes related to the Capitol breach.[16]
Reeves was first elected to represent House District 65 in 2024. Reeves said, "President Trump is our quarterback, leading the charge to restore America's strength, security, and values. I'm ready to run the route, take the handoff, or set the block-whatever it takes to advance the conservative principles that have made our district, our state, and our country strong. That's precisely what I've done in the Tennessee House, and I'll bring that same fight to Washington."[17] His campaign website stated, "Lee Reeves fully backs President Trump and his America First agenda to secure our borders, strengthen our nation's defenses, and restore the traditional values that made America great."[18]
Stuart Cooper, Adolph Agbéko Dagan, Mason Foley, Jason Knight, Joseph Leurs, and Tres Wittum also ran.
Elections
2025
See also: Tennessee's 7th Congressional District special election, 2025
Tennessee's 7th Congressional District special election, 2025 (October 7 Democratic primary)
Tennessee's 7th Congressional District special election, 2025 (October 7 Republican primary)
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Special general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 7
The following candidates are running in the special general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on December 2, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Aftyn Behn (D) | |
 | Matt Van Epps (R) | |
| Teresa Christie (Independent) | ||
| Bobby Dodge (Independent) | ||
| Robert James Sutherby (Independent) | ||
 | Jonathan Thorp (Independent)  | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Steven Hooper (Independent)
- Scerick Richard Longcope (Independent)
- David Richard Holbert (Independent)
- Caleb Stack (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Special Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7
Aftyn Behn defeated Darden Copeland, Bo Mitchell, and Vincent Dixie in the special Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on October 7, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Aftyn Behn | 27.9 | 8,648 |
 | Darden Copeland | 24.9 | 7,716 | |
 | Bo Mitchell | 24.2 | 7,492 | |
 | Vincent Dixie | 23.1 | 7,146 | |
| Total votes: 31,002 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Joy Davis (D)
Republican primary election
Special Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7
The following candidates ran in the special Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on October 7, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Matt Van Epps | 51.6 | 19,001 |
 | Jody Barrett | 25.3 | 9,335 | |
 | Gino Bulso | 10.9 | 4,004 | |
 | Lee Reeves | 5.2 | 1,929 | |
 | Mason Foley | 2.8 | 1,022 | |
 | Stewart Parks | 1.6 | 595 | |
 | Jason Knight | 1.0 | 381 | |
 | Stuart Cooper | 0.6 | 239 | |
 | Tres Wittum | 0.4 | 133 | |
 | Joe Leurs | 0.3 | 122 | |
 | Adolph Agbéko Dagan | 0.3 | 93 | |
| Total votes: 36,854 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Robert James Sutherby (R)
- Robby Moore (R)
- Brandon Ogles (R)
- Eddie Lee Murphy (R)
- John Wilt (R)
- John Wesley Smith IV (R)
- Michael Vogel (R)
- Noah Cline (R)
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
We provide results for polls from a wide variety of sources, including media outlets, social media, campaigns, and aggregation websites, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.
Election campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jody Barrett | Republican Party | $241,872 | $171,718 | $70,154 | As of September 17, 2025 |
| Gino Bulso | Republican Party | $550,005 | $474,449 | $75,556 | As of September 17, 2025 |
| Stuart Cooper | Republican Party | $34,313 | $27,409 | $6,904 | As of September 17, 2025 |
| Adolph Agbéko Dagan | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Mason Foley | Republican Party | $396,278 | $272,361 | $123,917 | As of September 17, 2025 |
| Jason Knight | Republican Party | $41,170 | $36,067 | $5,103 | As of September 17, 2025 |
| Joe Leurs | Republican Party | $6,604 | $17,747 | $-11,143 | As of September 17, 2025 |
| Stewart Parks | Republican Party | $334,307 | $330,034 | $4,273 | As of September 17, 2025 |
| Lee Reeves | Republican Party | $569,015 | $487,487 | $81,528 | As of September 17, 2025 |
| Matt Van Epps | Republican Party | $359,256 | $249,877 | $109,379 | As of September 17, 2025 |
| Tres Wittum | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2025. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
|||||
Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[19][20][21]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
| By candidate | By election |
|---|---|
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Mason Foley did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
|
Candidate U.S. House Tennessee District 7 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Secretary of State Tre Hargett Provides Timeline for Seventh Congressional District Special Election," July 24, 2025
- ↑ The Tennessean, "US Rep. Mark Green will step down July 20. Who could replace him?" July 8, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 WPLN News, "Meet the congressional candidates for Tennessee’s special election," August 14, 2025
- ↑ Congress.gov, "Representative Ed Jones," accessed September 8, 2025
- ↑ Williamson Scene, "Republican Congressional Candidates Engage Voters in Franklin Forum," August 20, 2025
- ↑ WTVF, "Nashville man pardoned for Jan. 6 role now running for Congress in Tennessee special election," September 5, 2025
- ↑ Matt Van Epps 2025 campaign website, "home," accessed August 25, 2025
- ↑ Nashville Banner, "June 11: Matt Van Epps Ready to Run; TCOG Sounds the Alarm," June 11, 2025
- ↑ Fox17, "Mark Green endorses Matt Van Epps in Tennessee race," July 14, 2025
- ↑ Lewis County Herald, "Rep. Barrett Receives First-Ever Perfect Score on Legislative Report Card: Most Conservative Legislator in State History," June 5, 2025
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Jody Barrett 2025 campaign website, "About Jody Barrett," accessed August 25, 2025
- ↑ Gino Bulso 2025 campaign website, "Meet Gino," accessed August 25, 2025
- ↑ Tennessee Star, "Unjustly Incarcerated J6 Defendant Stewart Parks Moved from Memphis Federal Prison to Nashville Halfway House," July 17, 2024
- ↑ Stewart Parks campaign website, "Home," accessed August 25, 2025
- ↑ Tennessee Star, "Tennessean Stewart Parks Among J6 ‘Hostages’ Pardoned by President Trump," January 20, 2025
- ↑ Lee Reeves 2025 campaign website, "Home," accessed August 25, 2025
- ↑ Lee Reeves 2025 campaign website, "Meet Lee Reeves," accessed August 25, 2025
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
