What vacancy or office prompted the December 2, 2025 special election?

1. What triggered the special election: the vacancy and resignation

The special election exists because the 7th Congressional District seat became vacant when Rep. Mark Green resigned on July 20, 2025, creating the opening that state officials moved to fill by special contest (Ballotpedia summarizes the resignation and vacancy) ^[1]. Tennessee’s Secretary of State formalized the timeline for a special primary and a December special general to ensure the vacancy is filled for the remainder of the 119th Congress ^[3].

2. Official election schedule and logistics

Tennessee election authorities announced the special primary took place October 7, 2025, and the special general is set for December 2, 2025; the Secretary of State’s office and county election calendars list those dates and the early voting window (Nov. 12–26) for the 7th District contest ^[3][4]. The Secretary of State also ran voter-registration reminders specific to the district and emphasized county-level administration of polling locations ^[5][4].

3. Who’s running and the political stakes

Major-party candidates named in reporting include Democrat Aftyn Behn and Republican Matt Van Epps, along with several independents; Ballotpedia and news outlets list the declared field and frame the race as a competitive special election in a traditionally Republican district ^[6][1]. Coverage from outlets such as Mother Jones and Newsweek highlights both national attention and Democratic hopes that special-election dynamics could tighten the contest ^[7][8].

4. The seat’s partisan history and why this matters

The 7th District has been reliably Republican in recent cycles; Ballotpedia and related reporting note it has supported GOP candidates by wide margins in prior federal and state contests, but the special election has drawn concentrated efforts and spending because special contests can be more volatile and low-turnout environments change usual patterns ^[1][6]. State election materials and national trackers placed this race among the handful of 2025 special elections to the 119th Congress, underscoring Congress-level implications for party control and messaging ^[9][10].

5. Conflicting frames and what the sources emphasize

State election sources (Tennessee Secretary of State, county calendars) focus on process, dates, and voter logistics for filling a vacancy ^[3][4]. Ballotpedia and local reportage foreground the vacancy’s origin (Green’s resignation) and candidate lists, while national outlets discuss political dynamics — e.g., Democrats seeing an opportunity and Republicans mobilizing to hold the seat ^[1][7][8]. Available sources do not mention internal congressional maneuvers or any alternative reasons for the special election beyond the stated resignation (not found in current reporting).

6. What to watch next and limitations of available reporting

Key items for observers are turnout during the Nov. 12–26 early voting period, final vote totals on Dec. 2, and whether the result shifts any congressional math or national narratives ^[5][2]. My synthesis is limited to the supplied reporting: sources consistently state the vacancy stems from Mark Green’s resignation and list the official schedule and candidates, but available sources do not provide exhaustive detail on the resignation’s motives beyond noting the date of departure ^[1][3].

Summary takeaway: multiple official Tennessee election pages and nonpartisan trackers uniformly say the Dec. 2 special election will fill the vacant U.S. House seat for Tennessee’s 7th District after Rep. Mark Green’s July 20, 2025 resignation; state filings set the primary on Oct. 7 and the special general on Dec. 2 with early voting mid-November ^[1][3][4].