Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has set a Dec. 2 special election to succeed former Republican Rep. Mark E. Green in the state’s deep-red 7th District.
Voters from both parties will pick their nominees in primaries scheduled for Oct. 7, according to a writ of election the Republican governor issued Thursday. Candidates have until Aug. 12 at noon to file paperwork to run and can withdraw from the ballot by noon on Aug. 15.
Green, who chaired the Homeland Security Committee, stepped down from Congress to launch a new business venture, which he offered few details about before his resignation took effect July 20.
The 7th District, which includes parts of Nashville and several Middle Tennessee counties, is heavily Republican territory. Green won a fourth term last fall defeating Democrat Megan Barry, a former Nashville mayor, by more than 21 points. Trump carried the seat by a similar margin, according to calculations by The Downballot.
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race as Solid Republican.
Several candidates from both parties have already declared bids for the special election.
On the Republican side, Green has endorsed Matt Van Epps, the former commissioner of Tennessee’s Department of General Services and a lieutenant colonel in the state’s Army National Guard. Other Republicans in the race include state Reps. Jody Barrett and Lee Reeves; Montgomery County Commissioner Jason Knight; and businessmen Mason Foley, Stewart Parks and Stuart Cooper. Parks served time in federal prison for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and received a pardon from Trump earlier this year.
Army veteran Jonathan Thorp, who initially announced a bid as a Republican, is now running as an independent. State Rep. Jay Reedy, who filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission last month to run for the seat, has since dropped his bid.
While Democrats face a tough task to flip the seat, they are set to have a crowded primary of their own. State Reps. Bo Mitchell, Aftyn Behn and Vincent Dixie have all entered the race, as have David Jones, a Davidson County assistant district attorney, and political consultant Darden Copeland.
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