Trump tries to dial up Republican votes on eve of US House special election in Tennessee

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee congressional seat that President Donald Trump and Republicans have previously won with ease became the unlikely epicenter of the fight for Congress on Monday, as House Speaker Mike Johnson headlined rallies and former Vice President Al Gore and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told Democrats they could be on the verge of a monumental upset.

Trump even called in twice during the day to tell voters to back Matt Van Epps, the Republican candidate, in Tuesday’s special election.

“The whole world is watching Tennessee right now, and they’re watching your district,” the president said after Johnson put him on speakerphone during an event inside a garage stocked with vintage cars on a supporters’ sprawling farm in Franklin. “It’s a big vote and it’s gonna show something. And it’s gonna show that the Republican Party is stronger than it’s ever been.”

A few hours later, Trump drove home the message in a virtual rally, the second he’s held for Van Epps since the former Army helicopter pilot and state general services commissioner became the Republican nominee.

The rush of attention on the reliably conservative 7th U.S. House Congressional District came as Trump hopes to rebound from recent Republican losses around the country. Democrats want a strong showing that could propel them in next year’s midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.

Behn, a self-proclaimed “pissed-off social worker” and progressive community organizer from Nashville, sprinted through her final campaign stops, including the virtual rally with Gore, a Tennessee native, and Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

Gore said people are struggling with high costs for groceries and health care while Trump is running “by far, the most corrupt administration in history,” enabled in Congress by “way too many subservient cowards.”

“Having had the privilege of representing Tennessee in years past, I want to tell you that I have never seen the political tides shift as far and as fast as we’re seeing them move in this election,” Gore said.

Ocasio-Cortez said the competitive race shows that “anything can happen and that miracles can happen, including in Tennessee” with hard work.

Behn has been described by some state Democrats as “our very own AOC of TN,” a nickname that Republicans have harnessed to deride Behn as too far left for the district.

“They’re bringing in all their heavy hitters because they think they can flip this seat from red to blue,” Johnson told reporters. “That is not going to happen.” Johnson is trying to maintain a narrow majority in the House, and he said the race is for “all the marbles.”

Republicans have expressed concerns about turnout because early voting went into Thanksgiving week and Election Day follows the holiday weekend. Van Epps was supported by a phalanx of party leaders on Monday, including national chairman Joe Gruters, Gov. Bill Lee, and Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty.

“I think that Matt’s going to be OK,” Hagerty said. “But it’s not just winning. It’s winning by a wide enough margin to send a real Tennessee message that we’re not going to stand for this.”

Former Vice President Kamala Harris appeared in Nashville to rally voters last month while on a book tour, and national party chair Ken Martin visited as well.

The 7th District is one of three seats redrawn in 2022 to erode the influence of Nashville, the state’s largest city and a Democratic stronghold. Only about 1 in 5 of the 14-county district’s registered voters are in Nashville. Last year, the district went to former GOP Rep. Mark Green by 21 percentage points and to Trump by a similar margin.

Behn has condemned Trump’s tariffs and tax cut legislation, both of which Van Epps supports.

Republicans have tried to turn Behn’s own words against her in television advertising, such as when she described herself as a “radical” or claimed to be “bullying” immigration agents and state police officers. A frequent target are comments Behn made about Nashville years ago, when she said “I hate this city” and complained about annoyances like bachelorette parties.

For the most part, Behn has answered questions about those remarks by redirecting to cost-of-living issues. But she has responded specifically about Nashville, saying she wants it “to be a place where working people can thrive” even if she gets annoyed at some tourist draws.

“The barrage of negative attacks is a result of the fact that they don’t have a plan to address the rising cost of health care,” Behn said at a campaign event Monday.

Jalen Smalls, a Behn voter, said his primary concern is getting people’s basic needs met, such as funding for schools, feeding children, supporting hospitals and maintaining roads.

“Those are the bare minimum of what people need in order to thrive, not just survive,” Smalls said.

John Rowenczak, meanwhile, said he is voting for Van Epps because he is concerned that the country is becoming too liberal. He said his primary concern is illegal immigration.

“I feel like Trump is doing a good job, and that’s kind of the way we need to go,” he said. “We want to continue the Trump agenda in this district.”

The House Majority PAC has put $1 million behind Behn. Van Epps has been backed by more than $1 million from the Trump-supporting MAGA Inc. super PAC.

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries predicted an unexpectedly close race.

“Republicans have already lost,” Jeffries said Monday. “The fact that they are spending millions of dollars to hold a seat that Donald Trump just won by 22 points is extraordinary.”

___

Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press writer Leah Askarinam contributed from Washington.