Matt Van Epps
Matt Van Epps, a Republican and former Army officer who has represented Tennessee's 7th congressional district since winning a December 2025 special election, is seeking a full term in 2026 against Democrat Darden Copeland.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Matt Van Epps.
- Born
- March 29, 1983
- Education
- Mentor High School
United States Military Academy (2005)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (master's degree in public administration)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Matt Van Epps was born on March 29, 1983. He graduated from Mentor High School in Mentor, Ohio, where he played baseball and football and was a member of the National Honor Society. He then attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 2005. After leaving the Army, Van Epps obtained a master's degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He lives in Nashville with his wife, Meg, and their daughter.
Career
After graduating from West Point, Matt Van Epps was commissioned into the Army as an aviation officer and served on active duty for ten years; he serves as a lieutenant colonel in the Tennessee Army National Guard. His awards include the Air Medal with "V" device, the Bronze Star and the Meritorious Service Medal. Governor Bill Lee appointed him commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services, a post he held from 2024 to 2025.
On June 10, 2025, Van Epps resigned as commissioner to run in the special election for Tennessee's 7th congressional district that followed the resignation of U.S. representative Mark Green.
He won the Republican primary with 51.6% of the vote on October 7, 2025, and defeated Democratic nominee Aftyn Behn with 53.9% in the December 2 special election. Sworn in on December 4, 2025, he serves on the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
2026 race
Tennessee's 7th congressional district is centered on Middle Tennessee, taking in parts of Nashville and its western suburbs, most of Franklin, Clarksville and Fort Campbell, and rural counties stretching south to the Alabama border.
Matt Van Epps was unopposed in the 2026 Republican primary, receiving 60,043 votes. His Democratic opponent is Darden Copeland, a consultant who ran for the seat in 2025 and won the Democratic primary with 39.9% of the vote over a field that included state representative Vincent Dixie.
The general election, in which Van Epps seeks his first full term, is on November 3, 2026.