Tennessee’s first congressional special election in nearly 40 years has drawn over a dozen candidates seeking to succeed Republican former Rep. Mark E. Green, who resigned this summer following passage of his party’s sweeping tax and spending package.
The Oct. 7 primaries, when voters in the 7th District will pick their nominees from 11 Republicans and four Democrats, have drawn several state lawmakers seeking to succeed Green, in addition to a handful of first-time candidates. Early voting ends Thursday, and the primary winners will advance to a Dec. 2 general election.
For Republicans, the race represents an opportunity to get their caucus back to full strength in the narrowly divided House. The GOP nominee should start out as the favorite to hold the district, which includes parts of Nashville and extends into Middle and West Tennessee. Donald Trump carried the seat by 22 points last fall, according to calculations by The Downballot, while Green won a fourth term by a similar margin.
