Voters Reveal Their Top Issues In Tennessee’s Special Election

NASHVILLE—It was freezing and windy with the occasional snowflake, and no, we aren’t talking about the libs. Election Day in Tennessee was cold, but the race between Democrat Aftyn Behn and Republican Matt Van Epps is hot.

Voters hit the polls in District 7 on Tuesday with certain issues top of mind. Tennesseans told The Daily Wire that the economy was the issue that hit home.

The Daily Wire talked to one woman who said affordability is what she wants to see in Tennessee.

“For me, it’s affordable housing, that’s a part of our country that needs a lot of help.”

Both candidates have focused on economic issues throughout the race. Van Epps said he backs President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda. His plan for the economy is to partner with Trump to rebuild the economy by bringing manufacturing back to U.S. soil, unleashing American energy, and creating jobs. Behn argues that Trump’s tariffs are hurting the U.S. economy and has raged against “tax cuts for billionaires.” She also claims that she would push to make healthcare more affordable for people in Tennessee.

After speaking to voters on Tuesday, it’s clear that dollar signs are on their minds.

“We want economic change, and we want to feel like our taxes are going to things that matter,” one voter said.

Other voters expressed border security and abortion as top concerns. One voter told The Daily Wire that Behn’s leftist views, especially on abortion, were too radical for middle Tennessee.

“The abortion, it’s a human life. I can’t vote for it,” the voter said. “Some of Aftyn Behn’s views aren’t what I want in this district.”

President Donald Trump and Republican leaders have also ripped Behn for her radical leftist views, urging conservatives to hit the polls hard.

“This is a big deal, because right now we’re like, three votes up on the radical left, and this would be a wonderful victory for us,” Trump said, according to the New York Post. “It’ll be really a positive sign.”

RELATED: ‘A Big Deal’: Trump Calls On Tennessee Republicans To Surge To The Polls

Behn has come under fire for saying that she hates Nashville, parts of which she’s running to represent. In a clip from a podcast appearance in 2020, Behn said, “I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate pedal taverns, I hate country music.”

Behn walked back her past comment, saying in a video after the clips resurfaced that she does not hate the city she wants to represent. But is that enough for Music City residents?

“It doesn’t look good for sure,” a voter told The Daily Wire.

But some voters didn’t care that Behn had said some negative things about their city.

“It doesn’t bother me. I think there’s a lot of people that are not comfortable with the city,” a woman said.

One Van Epps supporter, however, didn’t hold back his feelings for Behn.

“This girl is as dumb or maybe dumber than AOC.”

 

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Leftist New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got behind Behn during the special election campaign and spoke during a virtual rally for the Tennessee Democrat on the eve of the election.

Behn is just two points behind Van Epps, a former Army helicopter pilot. Trump won Tennessee’s 7th district  by 22 points in 2024, and Republicans have breezed to victories in House elections in recent years. Most Republicans aren’t expecting that big of a victory on Tuesday night, but President Trump is hoping Van Epps will outperform expectations.

“I want Matt to do better than me, even,” Trump said on Monday.

Polls close in Tennessee’s 7th district at 7:00 p.m. CT.