It was never realistic to think that Democrats could flip the special U.S. House elections in deep-red central Tennessee. Republicans had built too many structural advantages for themselves to lose, but the fact that the district Trump won by 22 points over Kamala Harris in 2024 has moved 13 points to the left in about a year should cause panic in the Republican Party.
Republicans spent millions of dollars on a special election in a district that Trump claimed would prove the Republican Party was strong.
Speaking of Trump: Republicans even got the outgoing president on the phone to speak for Republican Van Epps at two meetings. The Republicans sent Chairman Mike Johnson to campaign in the district and did everything he could to achieve a dominant victory.
The Tennessee special election was not a contest in which Republicans relied on their built-in advantages and won a smaller-than-expected victory. Trump and his party tried to run up the score, but they failed completely.
The Republican Party’s inability to quell members of their own party who worry about a blue wave is the big story coming out of the special election.
Tennessee sent a message to Republicans and it was that a blue wave was coming.
CNN’s Harry Entin said:
Republicans should run for the hills this morning because the blue wave is building. What are we talking about here? Well, Van Epps, Matt Van Epps, the Republican candidate, he won by 9 points, but this is a district that Donald Trump won by 22 points, 15 points, 17 points. This is a 13-point gain for the Democrats in terms of margin.
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