A closer-than-usual showing in the U.S. House District 7 special election on Tuesday left Tennessee Democrats with something they haven't experienced much in the last 15 years: a genuine sense of optimism.

• When state Rep. Aftyn Behn took the stage at Marathon Music Works, flanked by several smiling Nashville elected officials, the happy scene looked more like a victory celebration than a concession speech.

Why it matters: Democrats are jazzed up because Behn lost to Republican Matt Van Epps by just under 9 percentage points.

• Republican Rep. Mark Green won the same district one year earlier by 21.5 points.

The big picture: Democrats hope the marked improvement in District 7 bodes well for next year's race for the District 5 held by Rep. Andy Ogles, which the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has already identified as a targeted race.

What she's saying: "Tonight's election results prove exactly what the DCCC has known all along: Democrats are on offense not just in the standard swing districts but in red terrain across the country," DCCC spokesperson Madison Andrus said.

The other side: Tennessee Republicans are not panicking, in part because of the unusual dynamic created by lower turnout special elections.

Zoom in: After the District 7 race gained national attention, Republican voters took notice and showed up big for Van Epps on Tuesday.

• Behn narrowly won the early vote by three percentage points, but lost Election Day by a margin of 60% to 39%.

"This is an important takeaway as this was a special election the Tuesday after Thanksgiving," according to an analysis of the race by the Republican consulting firm Baker Strategies Group.

• "Looking ahead to November 2026, there will be higher awareness for key elections further out from Election Day. "

🔵 Blue Nashville got even bluer: Democrats dominated the District 7 race in Davidson County, where Behn beat Van Epps by a whopping 60 points. Kamala Harris beat President Trump by 24 points in the District 7 portion of Davidson County last year, according to the Tennessean.

• Insiders credited Behn's ground game, which was helped by progressive activist groups like the Tennessee Equity Alliance.
• It's the latest demonstration of the clout progressive groups have in Nashville proper. Two years ago, the candidates they backed performed well in Metro Council races compared to business community-backed challengers.

🔮 Behn's future: Behn is a dynamic progressive who's especially skilled at organizing, and Nashville politicos are wondering what's next for her.

• Behn told CNN she "looks forward to maybe competing with [Van Epps] next year," indicating a rematch could be in store.
• Some insiders wonder if Behn would consider running for Nashville mayor in the future.
• Things can change, but she was an emphatic no on that possibility in September when she told Axios over text, "I love my city, but the best use of my time is winning this congressional seat."

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The single-digit margin in Tuesday's race had national reverberations.

Zoom in: Republicans cheered the victory while fretting over the latest evidence that voters are cooling on Trump's agenda and his handling of the economy. (Each county in the district moved left compared to the last election, per the New York Times.)

• Democrats were encouraged by what the results could mean in the midterms but wondered whether they could've come closer to winning with another candidate.

Axios' national politics team compiled the big takeaways:

A costly GOP win: Van Epps' victory pushes the Republican majority in the House to 220–214, but required a multimillion-dollar ad campaign to keep the seat former Rep. Mark Green vacated last summer.

Hope — and regret — for progressives: Behn was hit with millions of dollars' worth of attack ads highlighting past comments like calling herself "radical" and boasting about "bullying the ICE vehicles."

• The GOP's bet that those controversial remarks would activate some of the district's MAGA base in an off-year election was proven right.
• On Tuesday, some moderate Democrats privately and publicly argued a more centrist candidate might have won, or come closer to it, reflecting the party's debate over whether to rally behind "electable" moderates or progressives who energize young voters.

The "Affordability" light keeps flashing red: Taxation was the most-mentioned topic in ads run by both sides, according to data compiled by the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

• On Tuesday Trump's frustration was evident, as he called concerns about affordability "a Democrat scam."

Trump's GOP is hyper-focused on 2026: The president and his political operation went all-in for Van Epps.

• Trump's involvement highlights one of his top priorities for the next 11 months: Maintaining the GOP's tenuous House majority — and with it his control of Congress.

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🤠 Kenny Chesney spent two hours talking with Howard Stern this week, which Chesney described as "absolutely my most favorite two hours of radio I've ever done." (Music Row)

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⚖️ A former leader at the Metro Human Relations Commission was indicted on allegations that he misappropriated more than $62,000. (WPLN)

🚧 The Boring Company said tunneling could begin as soon as next month on the underground route from downtown Nashville to the airport. (WSMV)

Morgan Wallen is a problem that Nashville Spotify users don't want to solve.

Why it matters: He had the most listened to song on the the city's Spotify Wrapped list again, this time with his ubiquitous hit "I'm the Problem."

Flashback: Wallen also topped the song rankings in 2023 and 2024.

Nashville's top songs of 2025, according to Spotify:

1. "I'm The Problem" by Morgan Wallen
2. "luther" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA
3. "Just In Case" by Morgan Wallen
4. "Ordinary" by Alex Warren
5. "Pink Pony Club" by Chappell Roan