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Tennessee's 7th Congressional District election, 2026

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2024
Tennessee's 7th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 10, 2026
Primary: August 6, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

Varies by county
Voting in Tennessee

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Tennessee's 7th Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th
Tennessee elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

All U.S. House districts, including the 7th Congressional District of Tennessee, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is August 6, 2026. The filing deadline is March 10, 2026. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

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
Image of Jonathan Thorp
Jonathan Thorp (Independent)

Candidate Connection = 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 Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

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.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate profiles

There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here. You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

Voting information

See also: Voting in Tennessee

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Matt Van Epps Republican Party $1,769,906 $1,724,994 $44,912 As of December 22, 2025
David Jones Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Jason Knight Republican Party $41,865 $36,093 $5,772 As of September 30, 2025
Stewart Parks Republican Party $362,620 $362,620 $0 As of December 6, 2025
Jay Reedy Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Jonathan Thorp Independent $13,499 $15,932 $-2,433 As of December 22, 2025

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. 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."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]

Race ratings: Tennessee's 7th Congressional District election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
1/20/20261/13/20261/6/202612/23/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Tennessee in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Tennessee, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Tennessee U.S. House All candidates 25 N/A 3/10/2026 Source


District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

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
Image of Matt Van Epps
Matt Van Epps (R)
 
53.8
 
95,470
Image of Aftyn Behn
Aftyn Behn (D)
 
45.2
 
80,181
Image of Jonathan Thorp
Jonathan Thorp (Independent)  Candidate Connection
 
0.5
 
923
Image of Teresa Christie
Teresa Christie (Independent)
 
0.3
 
607
Bobby Dodge (Independent)
 
0.1
 
195
Image of Robert James Sutherby
Robert James Sutherby (Independent)  Candidate Connection
 
0.1
 
128

Total votes: 177,504
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary

Special Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7

Aftyn Behn (D) defeated Darden Copeland (D), Bo Mitchell (D), and Vincent Dixie (D) in the special Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on October 7, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Aftyn Behn
Aftyn Behn
 
27.9
 
8,648
Image of Darden Copeland
Darden Copeland  Candidate Connection
 
24.9
 
7,716
Image of Bo Mitchell
Bo Mitchell
 
24.2
 
7,492
Image of Vincent Dixie
Vincent Dixie  Candidate Connection
 
23.1
 
7,146

Total votes: 31,002
Candidate Connection = 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

Republican primary

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
Image of Matt Van Epps
Matt Van Epps
 
51.6
 
19,001
Image of Jody Barrett
Jody Barrett
 
25.3
 
9,335
Image of Gino Bulso
Gino Bulso
 
10.9
 
4,004
Image of Lee Reeves
Lee Reeves
 
5.2
 
1,929
Image of Mason Foley
Mason Foley
 
2.8
 
1,022
Image of Stewart Parks
Stewart Parks
 
1.6
 
595
Image of Jason Knight
Jason Knight
 
1.0
 
381
Image of Stuart Cooper
Stuart Cooper (Withdrew, appeared on ballot) Candidate Connection
 
0.6
 
239
Image of Tres Wittum
Tres Wittum
 
0.4
 
133
Image of Joe Leurs
Joe Leurs  Candidate Connection
 
0.3
 
122
Image of Adolph Agbéko Dagan
Adolph Agbéko Dagan
 
0.3
 
93

Total votes: 36,854
Candidate Connection = 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

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 7

Incumbent Mark Green (R) defeated Megan Barry (D) and Shaun Greene (Independent) in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mark Green
Mark Green (R)
 
59.5
 
191,992
Image of Megan Barry
Megan Barry (D)  Candidate Connection
 
38.0
 
122,764
Shaun Greene (Independent)  Candidate Connection
 
2.4
 
7,900

Total votes: 322,656
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7

Megan Barry (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on August 1, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Megan Barry
Megan Barry  Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
22,512

Total votes: 22,512
Candidate Connection = 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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Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7

Incumbent Mark Green (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on August 1, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mark Green
Mark Green
 
100.0
 
31,871

Total votes: 31,871
Candidate Connection = 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

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 7

Incumbent Mark Green (R) defeated Odessa Kelly (D) and Steven Hooper (Independent) in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mark Green
Mark Green (R)
 
60.0
 
108,421
Image of Odessa Kelly
Odessa Kelly (D)
 
38.1
 
68,973
Steven Hooper (Independent)
 
1.9
 
3,428

Total votes: 180,822
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7

Odessa Kelly (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on August 4, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Odessa Kelly
Odessa Kelly
 
100.0
 
24,854

Total votes: 24,854
Candidate Connection = 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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Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7

Incumbent Mark Green (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on August 4, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mark Green
Mark Green
 
100.0
 
48,968

Total votes: 48,968
Candidate Connection = 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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General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 7

Incumbent Mark Green (R) defeated Kiran Sreepada (D), Ronald Brown (Independent), and Scott Vieira (Independent) in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mark Green
Mark Green (R)
 
69.9
 
245,188
Image of Kiran Sreepada
Kiran Sreepada (D)  Candidate Connection
 
27.3
 
95,839
Image of Ronald Brown
Ronald Brown (Independent)  Candidate Connection
 
2.2
 
7,603
Image of Scott Vieira
Scott Vieira (Independent)  Candidate Connection
 
0.6
 
2,005

Total votes: 350,635
Candidate Connection = 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

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7

Kiran Sreepada (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on August 6, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kiran Sreepada
Kiran Sreepada  Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
23,390

Total votes: 23,390
Candidate Connection = 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.

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7

Incumbent Mark Green (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 7 on August 6, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mark Green
Mark Green
 
100.0
 
73,540

Total votes: 73,540
Candidate Connection = 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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District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

  • District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
  • State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.


Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2023_01_03_tn_congressional_district_07.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+10. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 10 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Tennessee's 7th the 123rd most Republican district nationally.[5]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
38.0%60.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Tennessee, 2024

Tennessee presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 15 Democratic wins
  • 17 Republican wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party D D D D D R D R D D D D D R R R D R R D R R R D D R R R R R R R
See also: Party control of Tennessee state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Tennessee's congressional delegation as of January 2026.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Tennessee
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 1 1
Republican 2 8 10
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 9 11

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Tennessee's top three state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in Tennessee, October 2025
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorRepublican Party Bill Lee
Secretary of StateRepublican Party Tre Hargett
Attorney GeneralRepublican Party Jonathan Skrmetti

State legislature

Tennessee State Senate

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 6
     Republican Party 27
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 33

Tennessee House of Representatives

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 24
     Republican Party 75
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 99

Trifecta control

Tennessee Party Control: 1992-2025
Five years of Democratic trifectas  •  Fifteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate D D D D R D D D D D D D D R R S S R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

See also

Tennessee 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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Ballot access

External links

Footnotes

  1. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  2. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  3. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  4. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  5. Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
John Rose (R)
District 7
District 8
District 9
Republican Party (10)
Democratic Party (1)