Republican Van Epps was projected the winner Tuesday in a Tennessee House special election, NBC News NOW reported. After the projection, Van Epps thanked former President Donald Trump and his supporters and said he looked forward to representing constituents and getting to work.
Networks and analysts continued tallying returns into Wednesday and assessing turnout in the closely watched contest. The race drew national attention, with commentators monitoring whether Democrats could overperform in the district.
Election officials will keep counting ballots and are expected to certify the official results in the coming days before the winner is formally seated.