Voter Choice

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U.S. House, District 7: who gets your vote?

What this role does

U.S. representatives work with the Senate on U.S. laws and spending.

These votes help set U.S. taxes and pay for public services.

  • National laws
  • Federal spending

Read about them. Then tap a button to pick one. You can change it later.

Data last updated: Sep 18, 2026 (federal ballot roster). Verify approaching elections with your state election office.

Our reading of the duties, not an official requirement. Doesn't rank or recommend anyone.

Office role sources

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In the role now
Matt Van Epps

Matt Van Epps

U.S. House · Tennessee District 7

NationalRepublican

Candidate
DC

Darden Copeland

Running for U.S. House · Tennessee District 7

NationalDemocrat

Matt Van EppsCurrent repDarden CopelandChallenger

Job fit

Matt Van Epps

Offices held

  • Congressman Van Epps served ten years on active duty as an Army aviator, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. 1

Education

  • M.P.A., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C, 2019; 2
  • graduated from United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., 2005; 2

Darden Copeland

Offices held

  • He also sits on the board of the Nashville Wine Auction 3
  • They are active members of Woodmont Christian Church in Nashville, where Darden serves as an Elder, and both served as Youth Group Leaders for nearly a decade. 3

Other work

  • is the Founder and CEO of the Calvert Street Group, a national public affairs firm headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. 3

Top issues

We haven't found stated positions for either candidate yet.

How they voted on top issues

We haven't found votes on top issues for either candidate yet.

Who pays them

Matt Van Epps

Where the campaign money came from4

small donorslarge donorsother politicianscompaniespolitical allies (same party)Other kinds of donors
small donors$419Klarge donors$1.2Motherpoliticians$217Kcompanies$96Kpolitical allies(same party)$65KOther kinds ofdonors$118K$2.3M raised
$419,3924Small individual donors
$1,245,7584Large individual donors

Darden Copeland

Where the campaign money came from5

small donorslarge donorspolitical allies (same party)other politicians
small donors$120Klarge donors$517Kpolitical allies(same party)$2Kotherpoliticians$1K$704K raised
$119,5345Small individual donors
$516,9455Large individual donors

Checks

Matt Van Epps

Checks run: missed votes · stock trades

🚨 Stock trades on file: 12 since 2026. 6

Darden Copeland

No voting record to check yet

About red flags

These are Voter Choice's editorial choices, not a finding about any person. We flag: stock trading while in office, absences, money's influence in politics, and reported misuse of power or public funds. State and local items may come from local news, which can lean partisan. Take with a grain of salt. The judgment is yours.

Based on current data. May change in a future update.

Sources

  1. About | Congressman Matt Van Epps · checked 2026-10-14 used in: Experience
  2. VAN EPPS, Matt | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives · checked 2026-10-14 used in: Experience
  3. Meet Darden — Darden Copeland For Congress · checked 2026-10-14 used in: Experience
  4. FEC · 2026 cycle used in: Money
  5. FEC · 2026 cycle used in: Money
  6. House and Senate periodic transaction reports · disclosed through 2026-06-17 used in: Checks
Show 2 more running

0/2 selected

View comparison ↑

Pick any two candidates below. Your second selection updates the comparison automatically. “Shown above” marks the current cards, not a selection. Comparison selections do not change your pick.

AK
Candidate A

Andrew J. Koontz

Independent

We don't have campaign money records for this race yet.

Sources

1 Background: 2026 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee - Wikipedia · checked 2026-10-21

0/2 selected
DC
Candidate B

Darden Copeland

DemocratShown above

🚩 No federal record yet. Campaign money: $704K raised, 73% from large donors, 0% from organized interests. Group coverage unverified: filing cutoffs and receipt scope have not been reconciled. Named amounts are not a complete split of the filed PAC total.
Filed PAC total: $3,000.00 (0% of $703,634.64 raised), 2026 cycle.
Named group amounts (not a complete filed split): $3,000.00, Group filing cutoff unavailable. Group source

Sources

1 Background: Meet Darden — Darden Copeland For Congress · checked 2026-10-14

2 The money: FEC · 2026 cycle

0/2 selected
LR
Candidate C

Lowell Reynolds

Independent

We don't have campaign money records for this race yet.

Sources

1 Background: Lowell Reynolds For Congress – United States House of Representatives. Tennessee's Seventh District. · checked 2026-10-14

0/2 selected
Matt Van Epps
Candidate D

Matt Van Epps

RepublicanShown above

🚩 $2.3M raised, 55% from large donors, 26% from organized interests. Group coverage unverified: filing cutoffs and receipt scope have not been reconciled. Named amounts are not a complete split of the filed PAC total.
Filed PAC total: $582,300.00 (26% of $2,264,754.83 raised), 2026 cycle.
Named group amounts (not a complete filed split): $495,124.00, Group filing cutoff unavailable. Group source

🚨 Stock trades on file: 12 since 2026.

Sources

1 Background: About | Congressman Matt Van Epps · checked 2026-10-14

2 Background: VAN EPPS, Matt | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives · checked 2026-10-14

3 The money: FEC · 2026 cycle

4 STOCK Act trades: House and Senate periodic transaction reports · disclosed through 2026-06-17

0/2 selected