FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee congressional seat that President Donald Trump and Republicans have previously won with ease became the unlikely epicenter of the fight for Congress on Monday, as House Speaker Mike Johnson headlined rallies and former Vice President Al Gore and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez exhorted a virtual audience to help Democrats mount a monumental upset.
Trump even called in twice during the day to tell voters to back Matt Van Epps, the Republican candidate, in Tuesday’s special election.
First, Johnson held up his phone to the mic to let the crowd hear Trump laud Van Epps and bash his opponent, Democrat Aftyn Behn. A few hours later, Trump drove home the message during a virtual rally with Johnson, the president's second tele-rally since mid-November with Van Epps.
The crush of big-name politicians came as Trump hopes to rebound from recent Republican losses around the country as Tennessee voters choose the next representative for the reliably conservative 7th U.S. House Congressional District on Tuesday. Democrats want a strong showing that could propel them in next year's midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.
Over the phone Monday, Trump told the crowd inside a decked-out garage on a supporter's sprawling farm in Franklin to “make it a sweeping victory.”
“The whole world is watching Tennessee right now, and they’re watching your district," the president said. "It’s a big vote and it’s gonna show something. And it’s gonna show that the Republican Party is stronger than it’s ever been.”
Republican Party Chairman Joe Gruters, Gov. Bill Lee, and Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty also turned out for Van Epps, who previously served as an Army helicopter pilot and as a state general services commissioner.
Behn, a self-proclaimed “pissed-off social worker” and progressive community organizer from Nashville, likewise sprinted through her campaign stops, including the rally with Gore, a Tennessee native, and Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Gore said people are struggling with high costs for groceries and health care while Trump is running “by far, the most corrupt administration in history,” enabled in Congress by “way too many subservient cowards.”
“Having had the privilege of representing Tennessee in years past, I want to tell you that I have never seen the political tides shift as far and as fast as we’re seeing them move in this election,” Gore said.
Republicans have expressed concerns about turnout because early voting went into Thanksgiving week and Election Day follows the holiday weekend.
Behn was described by some state Democrats as “our very own AOC of TN," a nickname that Republicans have harnessed to deride Behn as too far left for the district.
But Behn has said the virtual rally shows the range of her support. Ocasio-Cortez said the competitive Tennessee race shows right now that “anything can happen and that miracles can happen, including in Tennessee” with hard work.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris appeared in Nashville to rally voters last month while on a book tour, and national party chair Ken Martin visited as well.
The 7th District is one of three seats redrawn in 2022 to erode the influence of Nashville, the state’s largest city and a Democratic stronghold. Only about 1 in 5 of the 14-county district's registered voters are in Nashville. Last year, the district went to former GOP Rep. Mark Green by 21 percentage points and to Trump by a similar margin.
Behn has condemned Trump’s tariffs and tax cut legislation, both of which Van Epps supports.
Republicans have tried to turn Behn’s own words against her in television advertising, such as when she described herself as a “radical” or claimed to be “bullying” immigration agents and state police officers. A frequent target are comments Behn made about Nashville years ago, when she said “I hate this city” and complained about annoyances like bachelorette parties.
For the most part, Behn has answered questions about those remarks by redirecting to cost-of-living issues. But she has responded specifically about Nashville, saying she wants it “to be a place where working people can thrive” even if she gets annoyed at some tourist draws.
“The barrage of negative attacks is a result of the fact that they don’t have a plan to address the rising cost of health care,” Behn said at a campaign event Monday.
Jalen Smalls, a Behn voter, said his primary concern is getting people's basic needs met, such as funding for schools, feeding children, supporting hospitals and maintaining roads.
"Those are the bare minimum of what people need in order to thrive, not just survive,” Smalls said.
John Rowenczak, meanwhile, said he is voting for Van Epps because he is concerned that the country is becoming too liberal. He said his primary concern is illegal immigration.
“I feel like Trump is doing a good job, and that’s kind of the way we need to go,” he said. “We want to continue the Trump agenda in this district.”
The House Majority PAC has put $1 million behind Behn. Van Epps has been backed by more than $1 million from the Trump-supporting MAGA Inc. super PAC.
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries predicted an unexpectedly close race.
“Republicans have already lost,” Jeffries said Monday. "The fact that they are spending millions of dollars to hold a seat that Donald Trump just won by 22 points is extraordinary.”
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Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee.