U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson Stumps for Matt Van Epps Ahead of Special Election

In a show of force, Republicans rallied behind their 7th Congressional District nominee Matt Van Epps in Franklin on Monday morning, including an appearance by U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and a phone call from President Donald Trump.

The event featured remarks from more than a dozen speakers, including Gov. Bill Lee, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, U.S. Rep. John Rose and several of Van Epps’ former Republican opponents in the special election. Speakers spent much of their stage time criticizing Van Epps’ opponent, state Rep. Aftyn Behn, calling her, among other things, “a homegrown Marxist,” who “represents all that's wrong with this country.”

Johnson called Behn a “dangerous, far leftist” who he said “will be a rubber stamp for [Democratic House Minority Leader] Hakeem Jeffries and [Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] and all the radicals in Congress.”

“Special elections are a funny thing,” Johnson told the crowd. “Anything can happen, but we're convinced we're going to get this done and keep moving forward. Matt Van Epps is the guy to do that.”

Johnson also called Trump, who spoke for roughly four minutes while Johnson held a microphone up to his cellphone.

“The whole world is watching Tennessee right now, and they're watching your district,” Trump said. “It’s a big vote. It's going to show something, and it's got to show that the Republican Party is stronger than it's ever been.”

Speakers criticized Behn’s support of transgender rights, with Johnson noting that Behn “brought a transgender clergy member to the [state] legislature” in January, a historic first with a prayer led by Church of Christ chaplain Dahron Johnson (which was protested at the time by several Republican state legislators).

Republicans have homed in on 2024 remarks made by Behn, who called herself “more secular” in remarks about the influence of prayer and religious leaders on the state legislature, while Trump alleged that Behn “hates Christianity.”

In a phone call after the rally with Post sister publication Williamson Scene, Behn pushed back against that criticism, saying she grew up attending church and now represents a diverse group of people in the state House, including members of “religious minorities.” She also noted her support of the Jewish Federation of Nashville in a 2024 rally that directly opposed a group of neo-Nazis who attempted to terrorize the city.

“There are Christian pastors who have a lot of say and proximity to power in the legislature, and dictate a lot of what the power players do, and it is uncomfortable,” she said in 2024.

That religious influence was on display on Monday with the invocation by former Grace Chapel founding Pastor Steve Berger, who is closely connected with both Johnson and Lee.

“Give us a man who fears [God] more than he fears the media. Give us a representative who will lead with holy courage and not with squishy compromise,” Berger prayed in part, adding, “[God] alone can stem the tide of wickedness that masquerades as progress, freedom and democracy, when in reality it is regress, bondage and godless communism.”

Tightening Race

Recent polling shows a tightening race with a slight Van Epps advantage. Monday’s show of force, in what Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden called “the most powerful room in the country right here this morning,” was not just an affirmation of support for Van Epps, but a growing warning of the risk of losing the election. And according to some Republicans, potentially losing much more.

“We could lose [democracy] in one vote series,” U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett said. “We are hanging on by thread. This is our chance to tell America we've had enough of this far-left craziness and everything that this woman represents, because it is not what represents Tennessee.”

On Saturday, Tennessee Democrats hosted what they called the “largest single-day door-knocking effort in history,” with Behn saying they knocked on more than 13,000 doors. She’s also receiving support from numerous Democratic Party stars from Ocasio-Cortez to former Vice President Al Gore, something she said is “emblematic of where the Democratic party is … and the moment we’re in.”

“We've been building a coalition of the disenchanted and right now, it's like if you are upset with the cost of living in the chaos of Washington, [D.C.], then I'm your candidate and welcome to the big tent,” Behn said.

“I think everyone wants to see an underdog story and that's hopefully what we're gonna provide on Tuesday.”

Johnson will appear with Van Epps for another rally in Clarksville on Monday as both campaigns canvass across the district.

The Republican event was listed as public, having originally been planned for Puckett's Restaurant in downtown Franklin. However, it was moved to a $28 million estate in Williamson County, owned by Franklin billionaire businessman Willis Johnson, and previously owned by country music icon Alan Jackson, according to Williamson County property records. The change of venue was justified by Republicans due to an expected larger crowd size and increased security with the attendance of Johnson.

More than 200 people attended the free rally, with tickets listed as “sold out” some 24 hours in advance, despite plenty of additional room in the giant barn and garage that houses dozens of antique vehicles. Most of those in attendance were either Republican elected officials from across the state or entrenched GOP organizers and supporters.

As seen in a video posted to social media, the main gate of the estate was closed and guarded by law enforcement during the rally, essentially closing off the campaign event to the public.

Despite Johnson saying in a post-rally press conference that the “stakes are too high” for Republicans not to get to the polls on Tuesday and adding “our voters are typically blue-collar workers … middle class, hardworking families,” he did not answer the Williamson Scene’s question about why the event was held at a gated estate and not with the general public. A Van Epps campaign spokesperson told the Williamson Scene that he would see if Van Epps would take the question, but soon both left via a back door.

While Johnson and Van Epps wouldn’t address the question, Behn did address the optics of the rally.

“It's exactly how Matt Van Epps will be as congressional rep for the 7th District,” Behn said. “He will only meet with the billionaires and the wealthy and well-connected behind closed doors."

Lee called Van Epps a “gifted, talented, brilliant person,” while Blackburn, a 2026 Republican gubernatorial candidate, said that Van Epps is “focused on getting inflation down, getting the cost a living down, making certain health care is more affordable, and fighting crime and making certain that illegal aliens are deported.”

As previously reported, Van Epps’ messaging, which reiterates his unwavering support of Trump’s agenda, has shifted some to the economy and cost of living. That was largely ignored by Republicans during the primary and seized on by Democrats.

“We believe in America first, and that's what we're going to get done. That's what we're going to get done tomorrow,” Van Epps said. “This is what I need everybody to do, I need everyone, every Republican in the Tennessee 7th Congressional District, everyone that loves America, that loves freedom, to get out and vote tomorrow. We're going to win this because we're going to have a coalition that gets out and we're going to win decisively.”

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Information about voting in Davidson County can be found at this link, with Williamson County voting information online here. More information about voting in Tennessee can be found online here.