Tenn. voters make final call in House special election

NASHVILLE -President Trump and Republicans will try to bounce back from recent losses around the country when Tennessee voters choose the next representative for the reliably conservative 7th U.S. House Congressional District on Tuesday.

- BY JONATHAN MATTISE

JOHN AMIS Associated Press HOUSE Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to reporters Monday in Franklin, Tenn. Matt Van Epps is at right.

The special election, which was organized after Republican Rep. Mark Green resigned this summer, saw an unexpected surge of spending in recent weeks, flooding the airwaves and filling residents' mailboxes with campaign fliers.

Matt Van Epps, the Republican candidate, has been backed by more than $1 million from MAGA Inc. It's the first time the Trump-supporting super PAC has spent money on a campaign since last year's presidential race, a reflection of this contest's outsize importance.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP Chair Joe Gruters rallied supporters in Tennessee on Monday.

Trump addressed the crowd by phone and later held a tele-rally for Van Epps, his second of the general election.