But the race was still a massive underperformance. Van Epps defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn by around 9 points after Republicans blitzed the district that Trump won by 22 points. At one point, polling showed the race to be neck-and-neck.

While President Donald Trump has continued to tout victory in Tennessee, a slate of conservatives on social media has raised concerns about what they view as a too-close-for-comfort race.

Republican Matt Van Epps narrowly prevailed Tuesday in a special election for a Tennessee district that President Donald Trump carried by 22 points last year, a result that has the GOP increasingly worried about the party’s prospects in next year’s midterms as voters take out their growing anger over high living costs.

Republican Matt Van Epps won a special election on Tuesday to represent Tennessee's 7th Congressional District.