Congressmember Jim Jordan backs Matt Van Epps in TN District 7 race
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: courtesy of the Van Epps campaign
A powerful congressman is backing Matt Van Epps in Tennessee's hotly contested District 7 Republican primary to replace retired Rep. Mark Green.
Why it matters: U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, is the second influential endorsement for Van Epps, who is a first-time candidate.
- Green has also backed Van Epps' bid to replace him.
Driving the news: In a press release, Jordan called Van Epps "the true Trump conservative we need to fill our friend Mark Green's seat in Congress."
The intrigue: Jordan did more than offer a canned quote. His political action committee, the American Liberty Foundation, began airing a new ad backing Van Epps. The ad buy is $150,950, according to Ad Impact.
Zoom in: Separately, the Van Epps campaign's debut television ad, which also focuses on his military service, began airing today.
Between the lines: Van Epps is a West Point graduate and a special operations pilot with extensive combat experience.
- More recently, Van Epps served in Gov. Bill Lee's cabinet as commissioner for the Department of General Services.
State of play: The gold standard in a Republican primary is the backing of Trump himself. But short of that, Van Epps hopes the endorsement and financial support from Jordan can help win over Republican voters in a whirlwind election.
- The crowded field of viable candidates also includes state lawmakers Jody Barrett, Gino Bulso and Lee Reeves.
- District 7 spans 14 counties, including a large swath of Davidson County.
The other side: The competitive Democratic primary features four top candidates including three state House members from Nashville.
What's next: The primary is Oct. 7. The general election will be Dec. 2.