At a get-out-the-vote rally in Nashville Monday morning for Republican congressional candidate Matt Van Epps, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson dialed in President Donald Trump to say a few words.
"The whole world is watching Tennessee right now, and they're watching the district," Trump said.
This isn't the first time the president has gotten involved in the race for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District. Trump called in to another rally for Van Epps last month, in which he referred to Van Epps' Democratic opponent, Tennessee state Rep. Aftyn Behn, as the “AOC of Tennessee," invoking another young, female politician who ran an insurgent campaign from the left, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Asked if she considered the president's nickname for her an insult, Behn, 36, laughed.
"You know, she represents a very different district than I do," Behn said of Ocasio-Cortez. "But, we have been both organizing to make life more affordable for our constituents, and so if that's what that means, then that's what that means."
Trump is scheduled to headline another tele-rally for Van Epps Monday evening; meanwhile, a tele-rally for Behn will be held at the same time -- featuring none-other than Ocasio-Cortez herself.
The special election to replace the outgoing Republican Rep. Mark Green has garnered national attention, as Democrats push to frame the tightening race as evidence of an oncoming "blue wave" in the 2026 midterms, and Republicans flood the deep red district with money to avoid a symbolic victory for the Democrats.
The election should be a slam dunk for any Republican candidate -- Trump won the district last year by 22 points -- but recent polls have Behn within striking distance of Van Epps.
"Our message of affordability is really resonating across the district," Behn told ABC News in an interview.
"Momentum is on our side, on the heels of the Democratic candidates winning earlier this month," Behn added, in a nod to this year's Democratic victories in places such as Virginia and New Jersey.
But unlike those states, the congressional district Behn is running in skews heavily conservative: a Democrat hasn't been elected to represent the district in Congress in more than 40 years.
"The Democrats have some enthusiasm that they think is gonna translate into Tennessee," Tennessee Republican Party Chair Scott Golden said of the national fervor around the race. "Of course, you know, we're still Tennessee. We're still pretty red."
Tennessee's 7th Congressional District is heavily rural, stretching from Tennessee's northern border with Kentucky to the state's southern border with Arkansas. The district includes parts of liberal Nashville, where national figures such as former Vice President Kamala Harris and Johnson have traveled to stump for their respective candidates.
In order to stave off Democratic momentum, Republicans are seeking to paint Behn as too "radical" in a district Trump won by a landslide.
In a statement, Van Epps told ABC News that "Tennesseans are fired up to stop radical Aftyn Behn on Tuesday, December 2nd." The Van Epps campaign declined a request for an interview.
Behn says Republicans are attacking her because "they don't have a plan to make health care more affordable."
Republicans are also highlighting Behn's 2020 comments on defunding the police when, in a June 2020 social media post, she asked a Nashville city councilman for a proposal to "dissolve" Nashville’s police department.
Behn told ABC News "that was a moment in time."
Outside dollars have flooded into the race on both sides of the aisle to the tune of millions, with Republicans outspending Democrats. Golden says part of the reason this special election has become such a national battleground has to do with the historically tight margins in the House of Representatives.
"We have a very close, divided Congress. There's one seat in play. It's the last election of 2025. So, I sort of have been saying all along that this was going to be the final showdown of the year," Golden said.
"I never thought I'd see national attention devoted to a race like this," said Behn.
Behn has also gained attention for the way she has been able to galvanize young voters in the Nashville area.
"A lot of us see it as an opportunity to finally get a seat at the table," said Trent Benge, the president of the Tennessee Young Democrats.
RaeAnna Morales, a junior at Vanderbilt and member of the Vanderbilt College Republicans, said that Tuesday's special election has been the "big talk" on campus.
Morales expressed concern about past comments of Behn’s that recently resurfaced, in which Behn says that she “hates” Nashville.
"I hate the city. I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music. I hate all the things that make Nashville apparently an 'it' city, to the rest of the country," Behn said on a podcast in 2020.
"Nashville is known to be fun for young college students and lively, and there's always concerts going on and events. So I think Matt Van Epps really reflects a love for Nashville," Morales said of Behn’s comments.
When asked about the comments on CNN over the weekend, Behn said, "Nashville is my home. Do I roll my eyes at the bachelorette parties and the pedal taverns that are blocking my access to my house? Yeah, every Nashvillian does. But this race has always been about something bigger."
Turnout is going to be vital on Tuesday, when a special election following Thanksgiving weekend is one of the last things on voters' minds. More than 80,000 Tennesseans cast their votes in the early-voting period, with many more expected to come out on Election Day.
"We haven't had a special election in the state of Tennessee in 40+ years," Golden said. "So nobody is really sure how many people will be coming out and voting."