House Homeland Security Committee Chair Rep. Mark Green endorsed Matt Van Epps on Monday to fill the seat he is vacating as of July 20. Governor Bill Lee will set a date for the primary and general elections within 10 days following Green‘s departure.
Van Epps is a decorated Army veteran and the former commissioner of Tennessee’s Department of General Services (DGS). He resigned as commissioner of general services and launched his campaign to represent Tennessee’s 7th congressional district just days after Green announced his departure and plans to pursue a career in the private sector.
“Matt Van Epps has my complete and total endorsement,” Green noted in a statement. Green pointed out that he served in the same Army special operations unit as Van Epps, which he described as “a brotherhood that cannot be replicated anywhere else.”
Van Epps graduated from West Point in 2005. He served nine combat tours as an Apache pilot for the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade and as a Chinook pilot for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers.
He was appointed DGS commissioner by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in 2024 and has worked for several Tennessee state agencies, including the Department of Veteran Services and the Department of Transportation. Lee praised and Van Epps upon his departure from the administration, but stopped short of an actual endorsement.
Van Epps recently announced that Republican mega donor and businessman Lee Beaman would serve as honorary co-chair of his campaign, along with Lee’s wife, Julie, with whom he worked during his service in the Bill Lee administration. Beaman, was recently appointed by President Trump to serve on the TVA Board of Directors and is awaiting Senate confirmation.
Several Republican candidates have launched their own campaigns, including Montgomery County Commissioner Jason Knight, U.S. Army veteran Jonathan Thorp, businessman Mason Foley, and State Representatives Jay Reedy, Lee Reeves, and Jody Barrett. Another State Representative, Gino Bulso, is expected to join the race shortly.
Democrats in the State House, Bo Mitchell and Aftyn Behn, have announced that they are seeking the Democratic nomination for the seat.
Steve Gill is a conservative, republican political analyst, strategist, and publisher of Tri-StarDaily.
