In the wake of the contentious primaries in the 7th District Special Election the focus now turns to “what’s next?”

GENERAL ELECTION: The republican primary winner, Matt Van Epps, should breeze to victory on December 2 over the Democrat nominee far left activist Aftyn Behn. That assumes he can successfully heal the wounds left over from his extremely aggressive campaign against his fellow Republicans, which remains to be seen despite a staged “bury the hatchet” event with the targets of his brutal ads. At this point his campaign team continues to exude a “we won, you lost, get over it” vibe, which could be naivety rather than arrogance, but it’s hard to tell the difference. That approach may not cost him the race, but it could easily inspire future opposition, sooner or later, and will definitely hamper his effectiveness.

The biggest question that remains is whether the national Democrats or Republicans will dump big funds into the district in the next few weeks. The Democrats may dip their toe into the water with an initial buy and see how Republicans respond. In the meantime, both Behn and Van Epps have very little in their warchests after spending what they had accumulated in the final days of their primaries. Winning helps fundraising, but the clock is definitely ticking.

JODY BARRETT: Despite having millions of dollars in out-of-state PAC ads shoved down his throat, Barrett performed well in the final tally, especially in the counties that make up his House District. Those counties also comprise a significant portion of the 23rd State Senate district currently held by Kerry Roberts, who faces reelection next year. Expect to see Barrett announce plans to challenge Roberts in next year’s August GOP primary sometime in early December.

LEE REEVES: Reeves narrowly won his first term in the State House in a three person GOP primary thanks to AFP doorknockers, out-of -state pro-voucher money and a heavy dose of self-funding. He immediately demonstrated his lack of real desire to represent his state house constituents by jumping into the congressional special election just a few months after being sworn into office. His poor performance in that race, not only district wide but in his own county, definitely leaves him limping into another primary contest in August. Will the coalition that won it for him last time hold this time? Doubtful.

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 is already running against Reeves again and Foreman is supporting him, even if only by staying out this time. In a one on one face off with Beathard, Reeves is likely a dead man walking. Reeves has already started running ads promoting his statehouse reelection. The question is whether it will be a one on one face off or whether others will jump into the race seeing Reeves’ vulnerability.

First time candidate Mason Foley did well enough in the special election primary to generate buzz about his political future. Some have called him, encouraging him to run against Reeves, but he is declining. He reportedly has his sights set on a potential Trump Administration appointment, possibly in the healthcare arena, which would be a good move for both him and President Trump.

Steve Gill is editor and publisher of TriStar Daily.