In the wake of the brutal 11-candidate GOP primary for the 7th Congressional District seat vacated a few months ago by former Congressman Mark Green, many are speculating on what’s next for some of the contenders. Most of those who ran neither helped nor hurt themselves too much in the aftermath of the primaries. A few, however, benefited or suffered from their campaigns. Here are some thoughts on a few of them:

MATT VAN EPPS: In a district that is about +11 in GOP composition and which President Donald Trump won by over 20 points less than a year ago, Van Epps should easily win the December 2 general election faceoff against the Democrat’s far left nominee Aftyn Behn. That assumes that Van Epps immediately reaches out and heals some of the wounds left from the millions of dollars in attack ads that his allies launched over the past two months. He must also reveal himself to be a successful fundraiser in his own right rather than relying solely on outside PACs to fund his campaign efforts, although the National Republican Congressional Committee, Congressman Jim Jordan and Speaker Mike Johnson are likely to spend whatever is necessary to ensure the seat stays in the GOP column. The Democrats nationally may dump significant funds into the district to help Behn after seeing relatively close turnout numbers with Republicans in the low turnout primary. But they’re also likely to spend cautiously with expensive and more fertile opportunities for Dems in the midterm elections that loom next year. In any event, Van Epps should be Congressman Van Epps by December 3.

JODY BARRETT: Like the other State Representatives who ran in the special election primary, on both sides of the aisle, Barrett did not have to give up his statehouse seat in order to run. It was essentially a “free shot“ for each of them and all will return to work when the House convenes again in January.

Despite millions of dollars in attack ads funded by out of state PACs, Jody Barrett WON both Dickson and Hickman Counties — the core of State House District 69, where he currently serves.

Dickson County: Barrett – 2,201 (54.6%) • Van Epps – 1,504 (37.3%)

Hickman County: Barrett – 1,041 (52.9%) • Van Epps – 567 (28.8%)

So, his House seat is secure. He could conceivably seek a rematch with Van Epps next August, but with Van Epps having secured 52% of the vote in an 11-candidate primary and moving forward with the power of incumbency, that is extremely unlikely. He could, however, run for the State Senate against incumbent Republican Kerry Roberts in the August 2026 primary. The name recognition, organization and momentum Barrett gained in the special election primary would make that a race worth watching.

LEE REEVES: Reeves narrowly won his statehouse seat GOP primary last August in heavily Republican Williamson County. While spending heavily (over $569,000) and early he never got any real traction in the special election primary. Despite endorsements from virtually every key Republican leader in Williamson County Reeves was in third place in his home county when early voting ended, and before the Trump endorsement of Matt Van Epps was announced.

Jody Barrett 1,017 (28.3%)
Matt Van Epps 888 (24.7%)
Lee Reeves 735 (20.4%)
Gino Bulso 541 (15.1%)

He also finished a distant third behind Barrett and Van Epps in the final vote as well.

Reeves vastly outspent his primary opponents, Brian Beathard and Michelle Foreman, in the August 2024 primary for his legislative seat. He won with 37.6%, followed by Beathard (36.4%) and Foreman (26%). Beathard has already indicated he is running against Reeves again and Foreman is supporting him. Reeves is vulnerable, and his special election campaign did not help him at all.

BO MITCHELL: Democrat Bo Mitchell was seen by many as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination when the special election primary launched. But his third-place finish behind Behn and Darden Copeland, although the votes were pretty evenly split between all four candidates in the Democratic primary, may leave some political scars. More significant was his distant third place in vote-rich Davidson County, a large portion of which he represents. He is not likely to face a significant challenge in the Democratic primary for his reelection to the State House next August, but could face stiff general election competition if Republicans find the right candidate. He won last year by a margin of nine points.

AFTYN BEHN: She really loves attention, and as the Democrat nominee she will definitely get it. The general election race may improve her national profile, like her hero AOC, but her extreme liberal policies and rhetoric are not likely to play well in the mostly rural and heavily conservative district that was won by Donald Trump by 20 points last year. With Democrats in the Tennessee House in a super minority position, something unlikely to change anytime soon, her higher visibility won’t translate to more legislative power, for her or her political party.

Steve Gill is editor and Publisher of TriStar Daily.