For Tennessee Republican Van Hilleary, winning a House seat after years as a Capitol Hill chief of staff would be a promotion in all ways but one: salary.

Hilleary spent more than six years as top aide to Rep. John Rose (R-TN), who represents Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District, covering eastern Nashville, the city’s eastern suburbs, and surrounding rural areas. Rose was first elected in 2018, and he took office on Jan. 3, 2019, when Hilleary joined his staff. Rose is giving up the House seat in the 2026 election cycle to run for Tennessee governor.