GOP fears what Tennessee means for 2026

Speaker Mike Johnson held onto a much-needed red seat in Tennessee last night — but fellow Republicans say this isn't cause for celebration.

Johnson's leadership's team was bracing for a tighter-than-comfortable race in the special election to succeed former Rep. Mark Green, Meredith Lee Hill writes in.

But the single-digit margin of victory for Matt Van Epps was still a hard pill to swallow after national Republicans pulled out all the stops to rescue their candidate on the final days of the campaign, with the speaker himself traveling to the district to make a final pitch.

"It was too close," said one House GOP leadership aide.