Matt Van Epps
Matt Van Epps (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Tennessee's 7th Congressional District. He assumed office on December 4, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.
Van Epps (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Tennessee's 7th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the Republican primary scheduled on August 6, 2026.[source]
Biography
Matt Van Epps served in the U.S. Army National Guard. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science and mechanical engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a master's degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Van Epps' career experience includes working for the State of Tennessee, serving as a senior vice president for Main Street Health, and founding the consulting firm Darkhorse Strategy, LLC.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Tennessee's 7th Congressional District election, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on August 6, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.
General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 7
Jonathan Thorp is running in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Jonathan Thorp (Independent) | |
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7
David Jones is running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on August 6, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| David Jones | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Aftyn Behn (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7
Incumbent Matt Van Epps, Jason Knight, Stewart Parks, and Jay Reedy are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on August 6, 2026.
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Van Epps received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- President Donald Trump (R)
2025
See also: Tennessee's 7th Congressional District special election, 2025
Tennessee's 7th Congressional District special election, 2025 (October 7 Republican primary)
Tennessee's 7th Congressional District special election, 2025 (October 7 Democratic primary)
General election
Special general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 7
The following candidates ran in the special general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on December 2, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Matt Van Epps (R) | 53.8 | 95,470 |
 | Aftyn Behn (D) | 45.2 | 80,181 | |
| Jonathan Thorp (Independent) | 0.5 | 923 | |
 | Teresa Christie (Independent) | 0.3 | 607 | |
| Bobby Dodge (Independent) | 0.1 | 195 | ||
 | Robert James Sutherby (Independent) | 0.1 | 128 | |
| Total votes: 177,504 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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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 (Unofficially withdrew) | 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)
- Brandon Ogles (R)
- Eddie Lee Murphy (R)
- John Wilt (R)
- John Wesley Smith IV (R)
- Michael Vogel (R)
- Noah Cline (R)
- Robby Moore (R)
Endorsements
Van Epps received the following endorsements.
- President Donald Trump (R)
- Stewart County Mayor Robert Beecham
- Cheatham County Mayor Kerry McCarver
- District Attorney Robert Nash
- Dickson County Mayor Bob Rial
- Frmr. Rep. Mark Green (R)
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Matt Van Epps has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Matt Van Epps asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Matt Van Epps, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?
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You can ask Matt Van Epps to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing alex@mattfortn.com.
2025
Matt Van Epps 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.
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope. Know of one we missed? Click here to let us know.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mark Green (R) |
U.S. House Tennessee District 7 2025-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Tennessee Commissioner Department of General Services -2025 |
Succeeded by - |
