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President Donald Trump’s political muscle in Republican nomination races was on full display Tuesday as a candidate he endorsed last week won a crowded and competitive GOP special election primary for a vacant congressional seat in Tennessee.
Trump-backed Matt Van Epps, a former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services, came out on top in a field of 11 Republican candidates vying to fill the seat in the state’s solidly red 7th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press.
Van Epps will now be the favorite in the Dec. 2 general election in the race to succeed former Republican Rep. Mark Green, who resigned from office in June to take a private sector job.
Trump’s endorsement of Van Epps in a field that also included state Reps. Jody Barrett, Gino Bulso and Lee Reeves, shaped the outcome of the primary battle even though the president’s backing came after the finish of early voting in the contest.
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President Donald Trump gestures as he boards Air Force One with first lady Melania Trump at Naval Station Norfolk Chambers Field in Norfolk, Va., Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)
The race among the major GOP contenders turned into a test of loyalty to Trump, and with the president’s endorsement, Reeves suspended his campaign and backed Van Epps.
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“Matt knows the WISDOM and COURAGE required to Defend our Country, Support our Incredible Military/Veterans, and Ensure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” Trump said in his endorsement statement.
Van Epps, who was also endorsed by Green and Republican Gov. Bill Lee, called Trump’s support “an incredible honor.”
Republican candidate Matt Van Epps was endorsed last week by President Donald Trump, ahead of Tuesday’s GOP primary in a special election in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. (Courtesy of Matt…
