The four Republican candidates are set to engage in a discussion on September 5th, just over a week before early voting kicks off. From left to right, we have Matt Van Epps, a former general services commissioner; Rep. Lee Reves; Jody Barrett; and Gino Bruso.
Rep. Jody Barrett kicked off the debate on Friday with a bold statement. “I’m the only candidate with a 100% conservative voting record across two different institutions,” he claimed, representing Dixon. “The distinction between 100% and a lower score is where the real struggle lies.”
On October 7th, voters in Tennessee’s 7th U.S. Congressional District will head to the polls for a special election following Mark Green’s resignation earlier this year.
While many candidates participated in the Republican primary, only four were invited to the debate in West Nashville by the American Prosperity Tennessee group, based on their voting records and fundraising abilities.
The contenders—Barrett, Gino Bruso from Brentwood, Lee Reves from Franklin, and former state commissioner Matt Van Epps—bring various levels of state legislative and government experience to the table.
Recent polling by American Prosperity indicates that each candidate has roughly 15-20% support among voters, but given the margins of error, they are, in effect, tied.
For two hours, moderators attempted to facilitate distinct discussions among the candidates, although rules prohibited them from mentioning one another’s names. Additionally, they tried to highlight policy differences between the candidates and former President Donald Trump. Interestingly, only Barrett took a firm stance critiquing Trump’s actions, particularly regarding the speed of the Warp Speed initiative for vaccine development.
Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group, notably backed former UN ambassador Nikki Haley during the 2024 presidential primary instead of Trump.
Consistently, all candidates expressed support for a well-crafted policy on various issues and opposed federal legalization of marijuana. In essence, the variations in their responses leaned more toward style than substantial differences.
Bruso, who is a lawyer, often gave lengthy responses to showcase his legal acumen. Throughout the discussion, he referred to constitutional provisions repeatedly. In contrast, Reves branded himself as the “America First” candidate, echoing Trump’s core themes, and committed to conservative priorities like dismantling the Department of Education and resisting immigration.
Van Epps repeatedly cited his military background and leadership experience in state governance, emphasizing his commitment to work alongside Trump on defense matters.
This Congressional District is adjacent to Campbell Base, a significant U.S. Army installation. Many constituents are either active duty or veterans, which informed Van Epps’ earlier campaign efforts supporting Green as a former military officer.
Geographically, the district stretches across the western part of central Tennessee, forming a distinctive shape from Nashville through Williamson counties. After partisan redistricting in 2022, Green consistently garnered around 60% of the vote.
On the Democratic side, there’s a competitive primary underway with candidates such as Aftyn Behn, Vincent Dixie, Bo Mitchell, and Nashville businessman Darden Copeland. Despite the special election, political analysts still expect the Republican advantage to hold.
The general election is slated for December 2nd.
