Washington Examiner chief political correspondent Byron York said Wednesday that the Tennessee special election results deserve attention from both Democrats and Republicans as the 2026 midterm election cycle heats up.

Republican Matt Van Epps won a special election in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, defeating Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn in a race that became more competitive than expected. Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin said on X that Behn’s overperformance in the race should be a “flashing warning sign” for Republicans before next year’s elections, adding that they had to spend millions of dollars “just to barely hold onto this seat.”