Republican Matt Van Epps just took the oath of office in a moment that could tip the scales for the GOP’s fragile grip on the House.
On Thursday morning, December 4, 2025, Van Epps was sworn in by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) at the U.S. Capitol, marking a fleeting boost to Republican numbers at 220 seats against 213 Democrats, though a looming resignation threatens that edge, as Fox News reports.
This story starts with a vacancy in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, a GOP stronghold stretching from Kentucky to Alabama with slices of Nashville, left open when former Rep. Mark Green stepped down in June 2025 for a private sector gig.
A special election on December 2, 2025, saw Van Epps clinch the seat by a solid 9-point margin over Democratic challenger Aftyn Behn, a result buoyed by high holiday-season turnout.
National Democratic and Republican groups poured millions into this race, with Dems hoping their 2025 momentum could flip the district despite its deep red roots—former President Trump carried it by 22 points in 2024.
Speaker Johnson himself hit the campaign trail with Van Epps on December 1, 2025, rallying at multiple events to ensure this must-win seat stayed in Republican hands ahead of the 2026 midterms.
At the Capitol, Van Epps’ swearing-in was a family affair, with his wife, Meg Wrather, and daughter, Amelia, by his side as he placed his hand on his daughter’s pink Bible for the oath.
Shortly after, Van Epps took to the House floor with a pledge to “work every day with President Trump and my colleagues in this House to deliver on the America First agenda,” a statement that signals his alignment with core conservative priorities (Van Epps, House floor speech, December 4, 2025).
That’s the kind of talk that warms the heart of anyone tired of endless progressive overreach, though one wonders if such bold promises can hold up under the weight of a divided Congress.
Speaker Johnson, no stranger to tight margins, didn’t mince words about the stakes, noting, “We cannot take anything for granted,” in a recent interview (Johnson, Fox News Digital, December 2, 2025).
He’s right—assuming victory in a ruby-red district like this one is a fool’s errand when every seat is a battleground, especially with the left’s relentless organizing machine in full gear.
Johnson also pointed out, “Every seat counts,” a reminder that the GOP’s current 220-213 advantage is as thin as a tightrope in a windstorm (Johnson, Fox News Digital, December 2, 2025).
But here’s the kicker: that 220 number drops to 219 in early January 2026 when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia steps down after a public rift with Trump, leaving the majority hanging by a thread.
Meanwhile, Democrats sit at 213 with two vacant seats—one from the passing of Rep. Sylvester Turner of Texas in March 2025, with a special election set for January 31, 2026, and another from former Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s resignation in November 2025 after winning New Jersey’s gubernatorial race, with a special election in April 2026.
With these vacancies and Greene’s exit, the House balance could shift faster than a Nashville honky-tonk crowd on a Saturday night, and Republicans can’t afford to snooze if they want to keep pushing back against the left’s agenda.
