NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Republican Matt Van Epps won a nationally watched special election in Tennessee for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, maintaining his party's control in the conservative district with the help of President Donald Trump. But the comparatively narrow margin of victory fueled Democratic hopes for next year's midterm elections, in which the party seeks a path back to power in Washington.

Van Epps, a military veteran and former state general services commissioner from Nashville, defeated Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn to represent the 7th Legislative District.

With 99% of the votes counted, Van Epps led by about 9 percentage points. The previous Republican who held the seat won by 21 points last year, and Trump won the district by 22 points.

Behn, who ran openly as a progressive, won a large margin in Davidson County, which is the most Democratic county in the district and home to Nashville. But Van Epps won the rest of the district, including many deeply Republican counties throughout Middle Tennessee, after aligning himself closely with Trump.

“Politicians who walk away from the president or abandon the common sense policies that the American people gave us a resounding mandate do so at their own risk,” Van Epps said at his victory party. "No matter what the D.C. pundits or the progressive media say, this is Trump's party. I'm proud to be a part of it and I can't wait to get to work."

Trump congratulated Van Epps in a social media post, saying she won even though “radical left Democrats threw everything at her.”

At her own campaign event, Behn took the stage with a burst of energy, singing Dolly Parton's “9 to 5" in a beaded Western-style suit. Despite not achieving victory, Behn said the result was “the start of something” powerful.

She noted that Republicans redrawn the district three years ago to make it harder for Democrats to win, and “no one in Washington believed we could get this close.”

“Tonight is not the end. "It's the beginning of a next chapter in Tennessee and American politics: one of possibility, one of power and one of progress for the people we love," Behn said.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin said Republicans should be "shaking" heading into the midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress.

"What happened tonight in Tennessee makes it clear: Democrats are on the offensive and Republicans are on the ropes," he said. Martin in a statement.

The special vote moved a lot of money

Van Epps benefited from nearly $1.7 million in spending by MAGA Inc., according to a memo from the Trump-aligned group, with nearly half going to digital advertising aimed at people who watch videos online. It was the first time the organization spent money on a campaign since last year's presidential race, reflecting the disproportionate importance of the special election.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican National Chairman Joe Gruters gave speeches to supporters in Tennessee on Monday. Trump addressed a crowd at a rally in the state by phone and later in the day held a tele-rally for Van Epps, his general election runner-up.

Chip Saltsman, a political strategist and former Tennessee state party chairman, said Republicans were slow to organize after a competitive primary.

“In Tennessee, it's been a long time since we thought about beating the Democrats,” Saltsman said. “It's been much more important to beat the Republicans in a primary.”

“This time,” he added, “we had to pay attention.”

Republican leaders were hoping for a convincing victory to debunk Democratic claims that even Republican districts are now up for grabs as Trump struggles with low ratings and lingering economic dissatisfaction. Additionally, Democrats recently won by wide margins in New Jersey, Virginia and elsewhere.

Behn had his own national support, and the House Majority PAC invested $1 million in his campaign. Party Chairman Ken Martin visited to campaign for Behn, and former Vice President Kamala Harris participated in the kickoff of a campaign tour while in Nashville on a book tour. Former Vice President Al Gore and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez headlined a virtual rally for her on Monday night.

Van Epps stayed close to Trump

Republican state lawmakers redrawn the 7th district and two others in 2022 to help prevent progressive-leaning Nashville from electing another Democrat to Congress. Only about 1 in 5 voters in the district, which spans 14 counties, are in the city.

The seat became vacant when former Republican Rep. Mark Green retired this summer. The single-seat election took place at an unusual time, with early voting ending the day before Thanksgiving and Election Day the following Tuesday. Van Epps aligned himself with the president as closely as possible, telling him during the November tele-rally: “I will back you 100%.” She won a crowded primary by a wide margin in October with a late endorsement from Trump.

Behn focused her campaign on fiery criticism of economic policies that she says prioritize wealthy people and corporations, including tariffs and Trump's Budget and Spending Act, both supported by Van Epps.

But Republicans responded with a steady barrage of ads that used Behn's own words against her in advertising, such as when she described herself as a “radical” and made harsh comments about Nashville and its tourist attractions.

Trump supporter Anthony Bordonaro, 37, said Tuesday that he wants to see the president's policies move forward, but pointed to those comments against Nashville as additional motivation for voting for Van Epps.

“I just didn't like what I was hearing about the other candidate not liking Nashville,” he said.

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Associated Press writer, Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed.

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This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.