Matt Van Epps, the decorated military veteran who earned the endorsement of President Trump, won the competitive U.S. House District 7 Republican primary to replace Rep. Mark Green.

• Van Epps will face Democratic winner state Rep. Aftyn Behn, a grassroots activist and progressive darling, in the Dec. 2 special election to complete Green's term. The AP called the races for Van Epps and Behn last night.

Why it matters: The general election figures to attract national attention as a measuring stick for Trump's popularity. Democrats in other special elections this year have improved on their margins from 2024.

Zoom in: Van Epps overcame the challenges of being a first-time candidate with low name recognition by rolling out the big guns in terms of endorsements in the later stages of the primary.

• After Trump endorsed him last week, fellow candidate Lee Reeves said he was bowing out of the race and encouraged his supporters to vote for Van Epps.
• Gov. Bill Lee and powerful conservative U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan also backed Van Epps, who touted his military service during the campaign.
• Van Epps is a West Point graduate, who served as a combat helicopter pilot. More recently, he served as a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard. He was also the head of the state Department of General Services under Lee.

The other side: Behn worked as a health care advocate and grassroots activist before winning her state House seat in 2023. She was a vocal proponent for gun control following The Covenant School shooting.

• In the legislature, she's focused on pocketbook issues, including pushing to end the state grocery tax.

The intrigue: Democrats view the special election as a golden opportunity to flip the seat following Green's surprising retirement announcement over the summer.

• Special elections lead to lower turnout. Combined with turmoil in Washington D.C., Democrats are hoping to turn the race into a political sprint that leads to an upset in December.
• District 7 spans 14 counties, including a large section of Davidson County.

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Nashville International Airport saw reduced arriving and departing flights yesterday due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.

• The flight reduction, which the airport said would remain in effect "until further notice," comes amid the government shutdown.

Why it matters: Travelers should check the status of their flights before arriving at BNA, according to the Nashville Airport Authority.

Driving the news: BNA officials said the Federal Aviation Administration informed them of the reduction about an hour before it began at 2:30pm.

Context: Air traffic controllers are deemed essential and are required to work during shutdowns, even though they aren't getting paid.

• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said earlier this week that more air traffic controllers than usual have called in sick since the shutdown began.

Zoom out: Air traffic controller shortages are also affecting flights in Chicago, Houston and Boston.

The bottom line: Even if the shortage in Nashville is short-lived, problems in major hubs could continue to cause delays at BNA.

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📄 A petition drive launched in recent days to recall Councilmember Rollin Horton over the recently approved rezoning plan for The Nations neighborhood. (WKRN)

🔍 Nashville Fire Chief William Swann vowed he would thoroughly vet the proposed Music City Loop tunnel project. (Nashville Business Journal, subscription)

☎️ Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty criticized an FBI investigation that tracked their phone calls. The investigation, stemming from the Jan. 6 riot, took place during former President Biden's tenure. (Tennessean)

Nashville Pride announced this week it had made significant strides toward filling a budget shortfall created when multiple companies and nonprofits backed away from the LGBTQ+ festival last June.

Why it matters: Leaders with Nashville Pride said they had raised enough money to continue their work, including organizing the city's annual Pride festival.

By the numbers: Since launching the Save Nashville Pride campaign in August, the organization has raised about $145,000. The group said that total came from nearly 1,000 individual donors.

Yes, but: That is still far short of the group's goal of raising $250,000 by Oct. 11.

• Even so, there was enough "momentum to move forward" with planning for the 2026 festival, per a statement from the group.

What they're saying: "Community builds community," the Nashville Pride board said in the statement. "The funds raised will help sustain our historic festival and ensure Nashville's LGBTQ+ community continues to have a space to be authentically and vulnerably themselves."

The big picture: Pride groups nationwide have faced budget turmoil this year as longtime corporate allies withdrew their support and funding. The trend was fueled by the Trump administration's fierce opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Catch up quick: Nashville Pride announced its $250,000 budget gap for the 2025 festival after losing support from previous sponsors including Nissan, Dollar General and Cracker Barrel.

• Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which typically provided medical services at the festival, backed out a few weeks beforehand, forcing organizers to pay for a new provider on short notice.

What's next: Organizers plan to adapt the festival to reflect a future with less corporate support and a potentially hostile political climate.

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