D-7 Sets The Tone For 2026
Good afternoon, everyone. We're back! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. D-7 is now considered a “bellwether” and has captured national headlines... Winter weather is coming to town... Metro lawsuits and ethics complaints... And much more!
Election Day is Tomorrow! The special election to replace Mark Green in U.S. Congressional District 7 is tomorrow, December 2! Find your election day voting location here.
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The Only Race on the Ticket: The Nation Watches as Tennesseans Weigh in on the Special Congressional Election in D-7
From Megan Podsiedlik
Now considered a potential “bellwether” for broader political trends ahead of 2026, all eyes are on the special election to replace Mark Green in Tennessee’s Seventh Congressional District. During early voting, the Republican nominee Matt Van Epps seemed assured by regular election cycle data (which paints District 7 red) and relied heavily on big-name endorsements as well as ad campaigns. The Democratic nominee, Aftyn Behn, leaned into her strength as a community organizer, coordinating a robust ground game alongside Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition Votes Action PAC and others.
Exit polling data collected during early voting indicates that the race is neck and neck as we head into election day tomorrow. During the home stretch, both Behn and Van Epps have pulled out the big guns.
With just one day to go, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson added his name to Van Epps’ list of high-profile endorsements while speaking at a recent campaign event in Franklin. On the Democratic side of the ticket, former Vice President Al Gore has been stumping for Behn, as well as U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Over 84,000 people have already early voted in the 7th’s special general election. That's already over 16,000 more people compared to the total votes cast during the primaries. While an increase in turnout during the general is to be expected, exactly where the voter turnout increased tells a bit more about which way the wind is blowing.
Some analysts are saying early turnout in areas like Nashville and Clarksville is much higher compared to the rural areas, indicating a stronger Democratic showing compared to the GOP. In Davidson County, that is certainly the case given that over 20,000 people came out to vote early in the heavily blue portion of the 7th district. That said, other counties with turnouts that favored Republicans during the primaries, such as Montgomery, Williamson, and Robertson, also had a boost in numbers during early general election voting.
ALL THINGS D-7
- According to a recent poll, Matt Van Epps holds a slight lead over Aftyn Behn (48 percent to 46 percent) among likely voters in the special election. (TN Conservative)
- A flip from red to blue in D-7 could signal shifting sentiments among voters going into the 2026 election cycle. (Yahoo)
- Super PACs have spent $7 million in Middle TN U.S. House special election. (Lookout)
- Tennessee special election that could leave GOP House majority with zero-vote margin. (NY Post)
Join Us On December 10th for an evening with writer Aaron Renn. Renn's recent book, Life in the Negative World, talks about being a Christian in a culture hostile to Christianity.
At our event, he will discuss this in addition to the crisis of civic leadership plaguing cities like Nashville. Aaron runs a very popular Substack, has written for The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic and was recently profiled in the New York Times. Currently, he's a Senior Fellow at American Reformer.
This is the first in a new series of monthly lectures we'll be hosting. Paying subscribers receive free access to this and future events. (Buy Tickets)
HEADLINES
- ⚖️ Metro Councilmember Zulfat Suara filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Meharry Medical College. (Banner)
- ❄️ Winter weather alerts: grab your bread and milk because sleet and flurries are coming to town. (Tennessean)
- ⚠️ Last week, the Metro Board of Ethical Conduct issued a warning to Metro Board of Fair Commissioners Chair Jasper Hendricks over an ethics complaint. (Tennessean)
LOCAL FLAIR
- 🔎 Sparks fly as locals question an MOU related to surveillance technology downtown. (Mike Lacy)
DEVELOPMENT
- Fallon Company names East Bank neighborhood project “Eastpoint” and enlists local agency, Perky Bros, for its brand launch. (Post)
- New speakeasy heads to Marathon Village (NBJ)
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🎸 Teethe @ DRKMTTR, 8p, $15, Info
🎄 Little Big Town: The Christmas Shows @ Ryman Auditorium, 7p, $75+, Info
🪕 OVATION Christmas: Benefitting Musicians On Call @ Station Inn, 7p, $20, Info
🪕 Bluegrass Monday with Kyle Tuttle Band @ Dee's Lounge, 6p, $10, Info
🪕 Val Storey, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle & New Monday @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info
💀 Grateful Monday @ Acme Feed & Seed, 7p, Free, Info
🕺 Motown Monday @ The 5 Spot, 9p, $5, Info
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Megan Podsiedlik and Camelia Brennan.