{"id":2516815,"date":"2025-12-03T00:58:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T05:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/late-breaking-trump-endorsed-van-epps-defeats-anti-police-democrat-in-tn-house-race\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T01:01:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T06:01:08","slug":"late-breaking-trump-endorsed-van-epps-defeats-anti-police-democrat-in-tn-house-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/late-breaking-trump-endorsed-van-epps-defeats-anti-police-democrat-in-tn-house-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Late Breaking: Trump-Endorsed Van Epps Defeats Anti-Police Democrat in TN House Race"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flate-breaking-trump-endorsed-van-epps-defeats-anti-police-democrat-in-tn-house-race%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2516815&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In a recent tennessee special election,Democrat state representative Aftyn Behn made the race more competitive than anticipated but ultimately lost to Republican Matt Van Epps,who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Van Epps won with approximately 53.9% of the vote compared to Behn&#8217;s 45%,narrowing Trump&#8217;s previous 22-point margin in the district. The election saw a late Republican push with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-taxpayers-are-funding-ukraines-blacklisting-of-american-dissenters-for-thought-crimes\/\" title=\"US Taxpayers Are Funding Ukraine\u2019s Blacklisting Of American Dissenters For Thought Crimes\">high-profile support<\/a> and significant funding helping secure Van Epps&#8217; victory.<\/p>\n<p>Behn, labeled &#8220;Tennessee&#8217;s AOC,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >faced significant challenges due<\/a> to controversial past statements and actions, such as calls to defund the police, discomfort with prayer, criticism of Nashville, and emotional incidents during protests. These factors likely limited her appeal in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-democrats-choose-candidate-to-replace-stefanik-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"New York Democrats choose candidate to replace Stefanik - Washington Examiner\">predominantly conservative district<\/a>. Despite the loss, Behn expressed optimism about changing the political narrative locally.<\/p>\n<p>the election outcome strengthens the republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives slightly, moving the balance to 219-213 in favor of Republicans.Tennessee Governor Bill lee credited Trump&#8217;s endorsement as influential in the race, although trump himself did not campaign in person.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Tennessee Democrat upstart state Rep. Aftyn Behn ended up making it closer than expected, but not close enough, in Tennessee&rsquo;s special election on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>With over 95 percent of the votes in, the Associated Press reported late Tuesday night that Republican candidate Matt Van Epps &mdash; endorsed by President Donald Trump, who warned that Behn &ldquo;hates&rdquo; both &ldquo;Christianity and Country Music&rdquo; &mdash; was the declared winner in the race to replace retired former Rep. Mark Green, leading by almost nine points around midnight Eastern, 53.9 percent to 45.0 percent.<\/p>\n<p>While this was significantly closer than the 22 points by which Trump carried the district in November 2024, it was also a significantly bigger win <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/terrible-sign-midterms-leftist-radical-aftyn-behn-striking-distance-winning-trump-country\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">than polls suggested it might be<\/a> &mdash; especially for an off<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/crypto-builds-its-2026-war-chest-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Crypto builds its 2026 war chest - Washington Examiner\">-year special election<\/a>, where the party not in power tends to do better than usual.<\/p>\n<p>Surveys taken in the closing weeks of the campaign indicated that Behn was within the margin of error. A late push by Republicans &mdash; House Speaker Mike Johnson traveled to the district on Monday, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/no-dem-upset-aftyn-all-van-epps-defeats-radical-leftist-aftyn-behn-in-tennessee-special-election?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=No+Dem+Upset+Aftyn+All%3A+Van+Epps+Defeats+Radical+Leftist+Aftyn+Behn+In+Tennessee+Special+Election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Daily Wire<\/a> noted &mdash; and an influx of money from GOP-aligned super PACs helped push Van Epps over the top.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Tonight you&rsquo;ve sent a message loud and clear: The people of Middle Tennessee stand with President Donald J. Trump,&rdquo; Van Epps said during his victory speech, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/12\/02\/us\/politics\/tennessee-special-election-winner-matt-van-epps.html?utm_social_handle_id=807095&amp;smtyp=cur&amp;utm_social_post_id=612682658\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, meanwhile, gave some credit to the president for his endorsement in a speech before Van Epps took the podium. While Trump didn&rsquo;t visit, he made sure voters in the district were aware of the stakes of the election.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We owe him a debt of gratitude,&rdquo; Lee said regarding the president&rsquo;s endorsement.<\/p>\n<p>The Republicans had a bit of an assist from Behn herself via a raft of old clips and tweets, including one where she helpfully self-identified as &ldquo;a very radical person.&rdquo; The receipts, which left Behn carrying the label of &ldquo;Tennessee&rsquo;s AOC,&rdquo; likely hindered the ex-activist and organizer&rsquo;s crossover appeal in the deep-red district.<\/p>\n<p>Among the faux pas that Behn was forced to relive: numerous calls <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/even-cnn-gives-trying-let-tn-dem-congressional-candidate-backtrack-defund-police-stance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to defund the police<\/a> (and a refusal to disavow those calls); expressing disdain for Nashville, at the heart of her district; saying that she was uncomfortable with prayer; a video of her breaking down in tears after being dragged out of the Republican governor&rsquo;s office, where she was trespassing; and an odd clip where she advised women not to have children based in part on dreams she&rsquo;d transcribed with the help of her therapist.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Aftyn Behn continues her train wreck of a campaign to be a representative from Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p>Here she&rsquo;s asked about her past calls to defund the police. She refuses to talk about them.<\/p>\n<p>Behn won&rsquo;t even say if she supports defunding the police now.<\/p>\n<p>Pathetic.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bGrC7MQWrd\">pic.twitter.com\/bGrC7MQWrd<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wu0LJzXyZN\">https:\/\/t.co\/wu0LJzXyZN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Paul A. Szypula &#127482;&#127480; (@Bubblebathgirl) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Bubblebathgirl\/status\/1992773035850379415?\">November 24, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Aftyn Behn continues her train wreck of a campaign to be a representative from Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p>Here she&rsquo;s asked about her past calls to defund the police. She refuses to talk about them.<\/p>\n<p>Behn won&rsquo;t even say if she supports defunding the police now.<\/p>\n<p>Pathetic.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bGrC7MQWrd\">pic.twitter.com\/bGrC7MQWrd<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wu0LJzXyZN\">https:\/\/t.co\/wu0LJzXyZN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Paul A. Szypula &#127482;&#127480; (@Bubblebathgirl) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Bubblebathgirl\/status\/1992773035850379415?\">November 24, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Good morning to all the people who ACTUALLY respect our law enforcement officers unlike Aftyn Behn who thinks it&rsquo;s okay to burn down police stations. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Eel6vFwIxF\">pic.twitter.com\/Eel6vFwIxF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RNCResearch\/status\/1994762794676478447?\">November 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680;BREAKING: Audio has just been uncovered where Democrat Congressional candidate Aftyn Behn (TN-07) says she OPPOSES prayer.<\/p>\n<p>Aftyn Behn: &ldquo;There are also prayer groups in the legislature&hellip;it is uncomfortable!&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>TN-07 nominee Aftyn Behn just deleted this post from 2024. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lgvd7jz4cj\">pic.twitter.com\/lgvd7jz4cj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; AJ Huber (@Huberton) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Huberton\/status\/1993734639546925209?\">November 26, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680;MORE INSANTIY&#128680; Resurfaced video from 2019 shows Democrat Tennessee candidate Aftyn Behn SCREAMING and SOBBING as officers had to forcibly drag her out of Gov. Lee&rsquo;s office. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DailyCaller?\">@DailyCaller<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rcUnwQeXlN\">pic.twitter.com\/rcUnwQeXlN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nicole Silverio (@NicoleMSilverio) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NicoleMSilverio\/status\/1993011789400097130?\">November 24, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680; Democrat nominee for the upcoming TN07 special election Aftyn Behn condemns women who get married and start families&ndash; saying it&rsquo;s the product of &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/unreal-video-woke-tn-candidate-for-congress-was-literally-thrown-out-of-gov-s-office-after-trying-mad-dash-past-security-in-2019\/\" title=\"Unreal Video: Woke TN Candidate for Congress Was Literally Thrown Out of Gov.&#039;s Office After Trying Mad Dash Past Security in 2019\">deeply patriarchal structures&#038;rdquo<\/a>;:<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;My therapist always asks me to transcribe my dreams and the recurring dream I&rsquo;ve had is standing&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LTsYj0im7Q\">pic.twitter.com\/LTsYj0im7Q<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/greg_price11\/status\/1993043067486527894?\">November 24, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Behn also threatened to target conservatives like the Daily Wire&rsquo;s Matt Walsh over their opposition to transgender procedures for children, noting in a forum that her &ldquo;partner has a trans son&rdquo; and that &ldquo;every legislative session, I promise to carry a trans bill of rights so that we can push back against the far right narrative that is being emanated&rdquo; by Walsh and the Wire:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Democrat Aftyn Behn, who&rsquo;s running to represent TN in Congress:<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Every legislative session, I promise to carry a trans bill of rights so that we can push back against the far right narrative that is being emanated by Matt Walsh and the Daily Wire.&rdquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/px3e6S1OOx\">pic.twitter.com\/px3e6S1OOx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDailyWire\/status\/1993013543684522420?\">November 24, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We may not have won tonight, but we changed the story of what&rsquo;s possible here,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/unbelievable-might-actually-win-district-dominated-trump-democrat-aftyn-behns-unhinged-moments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Behn<\/a> said in her concession speech.<\/p>\n<p>The New York Times also noted that &ldquo;Democrats in the crowd took comfort while sipping a vodka and orange liqueur cocktail called the &lsquo;progressive pink lady.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The results of the special election mean that Republicans will have a slightly wider margin in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-house-democrats-loudly-object-moment-prayer-charlie-kirk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">House of Representatives<\/a>, 219-213.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ]; 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( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tennessee Democrat and newcomer state Representative Aftyn Behn narrowed the gap more than anticipated in Tuesday&#8217;s special election, but ultimately fell short. With over 95% of votes counted, the Associated Press announced late Tuesday that Republican Matt Van Epps-backed by President Donald Trump, who criticized Behn for opposing both &#8220;Christianity and Country Music&#8221;-was declared the winner to replace retiring former Rep. Mark Green. Van Epps led by nearly nine points around midnight Eastern time, securing 53.9% of the vote to Behn&#8217;s 45.0%. Although this margin was much closer than Trump&#8217;s 22-point victory in the district during November 2024, it still exceeded expectations based on recent polls, especially given that off-year special elections typically favor the party out of power. Polls taken near election day showed Behn within striking distance inside the margin of error. A last-minute effort from Republicans-including a visit from House Speaker Mike Johnson-and significant funding from GOP-aligned super PACs helped push Van Epps ahead. In his victory speech, Van Epps said voters had sent a clear message supporting President Trump in Middle Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee credited Trump&#8217;s endorsement for aiding Van Epps&#8217; campaign and expressed gratitude toward the president before Van Epps spoke at his victory event.<\/p>\n<p>Behn faced challenges due to past statements and actions resurfacing during the campaign-such as calls to defund police she refused to renounce; criticism of Nashville; discomfort with prayer; an emotional incident where she was forcibly removed from Governor Lee&#8217;s office; and controversial remarks about women having children based on her therapy sessions-all contributing to her being labeled &#8220;Tennessee&#8217;s AOC&#8221; and limiting her appeal in this strongly Republican district.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Behn pledged legislative efforts supporting transgender rights in opposition to conservative figures like Daily Wire commentator Matt Walsh.<\/p>\n<p>In her concession speech, Behn acknowledged defeat but emphasized that their campaign had shifted perceptions about what is possible politically in Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p>The New York Times noted Democrats at watch parties found some solace while enjoying cocktails named &#8220;progressive pink lady.&#8221; The election results slightly increased Republicans&#8217; majority in the House of Representatives to 219-213 seats<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2516816,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2025-12-03T003949.835.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[41105,5894,6651,3634,64798],"class_list":["post-2516815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-house-race","tag-politics","tag-tennessee","tag-trump","tag-van-epps"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2025-12-03T003949.835.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2516815"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2516819,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516815\/revisions\/2516819"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2516816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2516815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2516815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2516815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}