Democrats Accused Of Boosting Spoiler Candidate In Tennessee’s Special Election

Democrats are being accused of deploying heavy political machinery to flip Tennessee’s thoroughly Republican 7th Congressional District. According to The Daily Caller, an “independent” candidate in the race is receiving support from a Democratic-aligned PAC known as Your Community. The effort appears aimed at siphoning votes from Republican Matt Van Epps in the Dec. 2 special election to replace Rep. Mark Green.

The move has raised concerns among Republicans who argue that the strategy is intended to pull votes away from Van Epps in a district long considered safely red.

Your Community recently circulated a poll that showed Van Epps with an eight-point lead over Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn. The poll landed just weeks before voters choose a successor for Green’s former seat, raising questions among Republicans about the PAC’s intent and timing.

The Daily Caller added that about 85% of the PAC’s spending in the 2024 cycle was directed toward supporting Democratic candidates, “while the remaining 15% was spent opposing Republicans, according to OpenSecrets records. Both funds are part of the Arabella Advisors network, which The Atlantic labeled the “mothership” of Democratic dark money, funneling hundreds of millions in anonymous donations into elections nationwide”:

Your Community PAC appears to be taking an interference approach in the Volunteer State’s special election, running an ad Friday to promote Thorp and effectively sidelining the Democratic candidate to influence the race against Republican Matt Van Epps.

In 2024 alone, Your Community PAC spent $16.3 million, with 77% of its budget allocated to media, intervening in major contests from the presidential race to key Senate and House battles in Montana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio, and Nebraska, according to OpenSecrets records.

Alongside its robust mail operations, Google’s ad archive shows six ads placed in Michigan’s 10th District and Nebraska’s 2nd District, including one co-funded with David Brock’s nonprofit, American Bridge, the Democrats’ largest rapid-response organization.

Both dark-money groups, Sixteen Thirty Fund and North Fund, continue to exert influence behind the scenes: since 2024, North Fund has contributed $6.4 million to the PAC, while the Soros-backed Sixteen Thirty Fund has given nearly $6.7 million, plus an additional $35,000 in in-kind support.

George Soros and the network of groups tied to him have long been major players in progressive politics. Soros recently backed socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani’s push for broader influence in New York City. Critics have also accused his organizations of paying protesters and skirting federal election rules by routing money to candidates through layers of nonprofits.

Green announced earlier this year that he would step aside following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. He thanked voters for their support, writing that the trust they placed in him was humbling and that he would look back on his time representing the district with appreciation.

His departure briefly narrowed the GOP majority in the House to 219-212. Green said a private sector opportunity prompted his decision to leave. He recalled telling House Speaker Mike Johnson about the offer and said Johnson congratulated him, noting that political life can be a tough business.

Nashville Public Radio has more on the unexpectedly competitive race — which Green won handily last November — and on the factor that may prove decisive heading into Election Day:

The Cook Political Report, a non-partisan newsletter, first listed the 7th congressional district as “solidly Republican,” but has now shifted that rating to “leans Republican.” Polling still puts Republican candidate Matt Van Epps ahead of Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn for the seat, but the gap may be narrower than expected.

Already, Democrats have had some major wins in other special elections this year. Pollsters underestimated the blue wave, said John Geer, Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University and co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll.

“Does that trend continue to eat into some of the lead the Republicans have? Yeah, it almost surely will. Is it going to be enough to flip it to the Democrats is the big question,” Geer said. “That’s going to take a huge amount of turnout.”

Green’s 22-point victory also came during a presidential election year, which typically has higher turnout than both mid-terms and special elections. Low turnout, in this case, could help the Democratic side, whose voters are more motivated to go to the polls.

Tennessee Republican Party Chair Scott Golden emphasized to WPLN News that turnout remained a central concern for the party, especially given the timing of the race. With the special election falling so close to the Thanksgiving holiday, he said the challenge was keeping voters engaged and aware.

“Anytime you have a special election that is bracketed by the Thanksgiving holiday, you can’t afford to take a day off,” Golden said. “I think if there’s concern, it’s just that people aren’t aware that they have the opportunity to vote right now.”

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