What is the December 2 2025 special election for?
Executive summary
The December 2, 2025 special election is a contest to fill the vacant U.S. House seat for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District after Rep. Mark Green’s resignation; the special general is scheduled for December 2 with early voting Nov. 12–26 and a voter-registration deadline of Nov. 3 [1] [2] [3]. Major-party nominees include Democrat Aftyn Behn and Republican Matt Van Epps, plus several independents; the winner will serve the remainder of the 119th Congress through Jan. 3, 2027 [4] [5] [1].
1. What the election is and why it exists — a sudden seat to be filled
This is a special general election to fill the vacancy in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District created when Rep. Mark Green resigned earlier in 2025; state election officials set the special general for December 2, 2025 so the district has representation for the remainder of the 119th Congress [5] [1] [3].
2. Who’s on the ballot — the competitive lineup
Reported candidates include Democrat Aftyn Behn, Republican Matt Van Epps and four independent candidates in the Dec. 2 special general, with Behn and Van Epps being the headline major‑party nominees in media and Ballotpedia coverage [4] [5]. Campaigns and outside figures have been active; major endorsements and national surrogates have been reported as influencing turnout efforts [4] [6].
3. Timing and voter logistics — deadlines voters must know
Tennessee’s Secretary of State and county election pages list the special general on Dec. 2, with early voting scheduled Nov. 12–26 and a voter registration deadline of Nov. 3 for eligible voters in the 7th District; Tennessee does not offer Election Day registration for this special [2] [3] [7].
4. Political context — why this race drew national attention
The district voted heavily for Donald Trump in 2024 (about a 22-point margin), yet polling and national media showed the race unexpectedly competitive, prompting high-profile surrogates and outside attention because the outcome could affect the narrow House majority and is seen as a test of suburban and mixed electorates [1] [8] [6].
5. What the winner gets — the short but consequential term
The victor will serve in the U.S. House for the remainder of the 119th Congress, a term that runs through Jan. 3, 2027, meaning the seat-holder will serve roughly one year in Congress before the next full-term election cycle [1].
6. How this fits into the bigger special‑election picture in 2025
This Tennessee contest is one of multiple special elections called in 2025 to fill congressional vacancies; observers including Ballotpedia list Tennessee’s 7th as an upcoming special election on Dec. 2 alongside other contests that year, underscoring a busy midterm-plus cycle with several one-off races [9] [10].
7. Competing narratives and what sources emphasize
State election sites and Ballotpedia provide administrative facts—dates, candidates and deadlines—while national outlets such as Newsweek emphasize competitiveness, high-profile campaigning, and potential implications for House control [3] [4] [6] [8]. Local outlets note the district’s recent partisan history and geography as important to outcomes [5] [1].
8. Limitations in available reporting
Available sources give the schedule, candidate lists and campaign attention but do not include final vote totals or the election outcome (not found in current reporting). Detailed district-level turnout modeling and exhaustive lists of every campaign donor are not provided in the supplied materials (not found in current reporting).
Bottom line: The Dec. 2, 2025 special election is a federally significant, state‑run special general to fill Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District vacancy for the remainder of the 119th Congress, with clear deadlines and a high-profile matchup that national and local sources say could alter the short-term balance and political narratives in Washington [3] [4] [1].