What congressional seat is up for the December 2 2025 special election?
Executive summary
The special election scheduled for December 2, 2025, is to fill the vacant U.S. House seat for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, a vacancy created when Republican Rep. Mark Green resigned on July 20, 2025 [1] [2]. State officials set the date after primaries and candidate filing deadlines concluded; major media and reference sites — Wikipedia and Ballotpedia — list December 2, 2025, as the special general election date for TN-07 [1] [2] [3].
1. What seat is up — plain and direct
The December 2, 2025 special election is for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives [1] [2]. Multiple independent trackers and encyclopedic resources consistently identify TN-07 as the contest scheduled for that date [1] [3].
2. Why the vacancy exists — the proximate cause
The seat became vacant after Rep. Mark Green (R) resigned on July 20, 2025, prompting the need for a special election to fill the remainder of the 119th Congress term [1] [2]. Sources report Green’s resignation and the subsequent scheduling actions by Tennessee officials [1] [4].
3. Who’s running and the political context
Ballotpedia lists Democrat Aftyn Behn, Republican Matt Van Epps, and several independent candidates as participants in the December 2 special election, framing the race as a traditional urban-versus-rural contest in a historically Republican district [2]. Wikipedia’s coverage notes primary results: Van Epps and Behn won their respective primaries on October 7, 2025 [1].
4. Why the date matters — timing and turnout implications
Holding the special general on December 2 places the contest late in the calendar year — after the November 4, 2025 statewide and municipal elections in many states — which can reduce turnout compared with typical November elections and concentrate political attention on a single federal vacancy [3]. Governor Bill Lee reportedly anticipated the December 2 date, according to reporting compiled in election overviews [4].
5. How parties and media framed the race
Coverage cited by Fox News and Ballotpedia highlights competitive elements and campaign flashpoints: Fox noted law-enforcement and social-media controversies involving the GOP candidate and characterized the race as one Democrats hope to use to chip at Republican margins nationally, while Ballotpedia described the contest as a "classic conservative-liberal battle" that pits urban Nashville precincts against a largely red outside region [5] [2].
6. Broader 2025 special-election landscape for context
The Tennessee contest is one of several special House elections in 2025; other special elections that year included Florida seats on April 1, a Virginia special on September 9, an Arizona special on September 23, a Texas special on November 4, and the Tennessee special on December 2, according to aggregated election timelines [6] [3]. This cluster of off-cycle contests has repeatedly shifted the House’s slim margins and national attention [4].
7. Limitations and what sources don’t say
Available sources do not mention final certified vote totals or the eventual winner of the December 2 contest (not found in current reporting). The materials provided also do not include in-depth polling numbers for the December 2 election beyond qualitative descriptions of competitiveness (not found in current reporting).
8. Competing perspectives and implicit agendas
Sources show competing narratives: Ballotpedia and local reporting emphasize district-level dynamics and organization [2], while national outlets frame special elections as proxy fights over control of the U.S. House and party momentum [5] [3]. Readers should note that partisan outlets may emphasize national implications to mobilize donors and voters, while local outlets stress ground-game and community issues; both frames appear in the cited reporting [5] [2].
9. What to watch next
Monitor certified results and AP or local election-office reporting after December 2 for the official outcome; AP and other outlets maintain live result trackers for special elections and will show whether the seat changes party hands and how that affects House arithmetic [7]. For procedural details and fundraising windows tied to the special election, consult FEC guidance on special-election reporting and activity periods [8].
Sources referenced above: Wikipedia (Tennessee’s 7th special election and 2025 election pages) [1] [4] [3], Ballotpedia (TN-07 special election) [2] [6], national outlets including Fox News and NBC/CNN trackers [5] [9], AP results hub [7], and FEC special-election guidance [8].