Democrats notched an off-cycle achievement Tuesday night, as Tennessee state lawmaker Aftyn Behn sliced into President Donald Trump’s double-digit victory in a deep-red House district.
It marked the latest demonstration of voters’ dissatisfaction with Republicans’ grip on power as the parties head into next year’s pivotal midterms.
With 95 percent of the vote in, Republican Matt Van Epps was ahead of Behn 54 percent to 45 percent in the closely watched special election Tuesday.
The narrow margin gave Democrats cause to celebrate as they fight to retake the House next year. And it spelled trouble for Speaker Mike Johnson’s efforts to retain his slim majority: Even though Van Epps won, the Republican significantly underperformed Trump’s 22-point rout in the district last year as Behn lured voters with a well-funded campaign focused singularly on affordability.
