Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee issued the Writs of Election, which establishes the timeline for the Special Election to fill the vacancy in the 7th Congressional District. Candidate petitions are now available for pickup, and the candidate qualifying deadline is set for Aug. 12. Party primaries will be held Oct. 7, and the General Election is scheduled Dec. 2.
As previously reported by TriStar Daily, candidates have been joining and exiting the race for the seat officially vacated by congressman Mark Green (R-TN) on July 20.The field will likely continue to fluctuate until the filing deadline.
Candidates on both sides of the political aisle are already making their way to Washington DC to curry favor with lobbyists, national donors and their respective political party leaders. And those with the ability to “self fund” are beginning to exercise their financial advantage with initial mailings and campaign appearances. No television buys have been made at this point, but with a crowded field on both sides of the aisle, it will be important for candidates to lock in their television time early.
Republican candidate Lee Reeves is already reaching across the aisle to take shots at one of the Democrats running for the seat, Aftyn Behn, in a social media post this week. And Behn, along with two other Democrats who are seeking their nomination, State House members, Bo Mitchell and Vincent Dixie, are wasting no time in launching their attacks against President Donald Trump. Trump carried the district handily in 2024, so while the anti-Trump rhetoric may play well in the Democratic primary it is not likely to benefit the eventual nominee as much in the general election. Nevertheless, democrats are counting on an expected low voter turn out in December, along with the possibility that a bitter Republican primary produces a weakened nominee, to put the race within their reach.
The winner of the special election in December will immediately take office, but will face an August primary in 2026 in order to win a full two year term
Buckle up, the fun is just beginning!
Steve Gill is a national and international political commentator and analyst. He is publisher of TriStar Daily.
