TENNESSEE SPECIAL ELECTION: Democrats are hoping their enthusiasm in opposing the Trump administration can carry them to a major upset in a special House race in deep-red Tennessee today.
Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn is running against Republican Matt Van Epps to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) in July. Tennessee's 7th Congressional District is generally solidly red, having voted for Trump last year by more than 20 points, and it hasn't elected a Democratic House member in more than 40 years.
But Democrats are trying to change that, amid deepening frustration with Trump, whose approval rating has been falling, and major overperformances in other elections this year.
The limited polling conducted on the race suggests a potentially much closer race than the district has typically seen.
An Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey released last week showed Van Epps, a former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services, leading Behn with 48 percent support to 46 percent. That's within the margin of error.
Two other Democratic-affiliated polls from last month showed the gap a bit larger, with Van Epps leading by about 8 points in each.
Both parties are going all in on the race despite its relatively narrow scope. Trump called in to a rally for Van Epps on Monday, declaring the "whole world is watching Tennessee," with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) also in attendance.
Democrats have poured money into the race and had several high-profile figures campaign for Behn, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, native Tennessean and former Vice President Al Gore and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
Democrats have performed particularly well in 2025's off-year elections, which generally tend to be low-turnout affairs that attract only the most engaged voters. They also notched sweeping wins in the gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia last month.
Still, pulling off an upset to flip the district would be a high hurdle and would require a lot to swing in Democrats' favor. The increased attention on the race could also galvanize Republican voters.
But Democrats have said they can still claim victory even if Behn falls short. If the party can outperform its margin in the district compared with last year, and especially if the margin stays in single digits, strategists have said that could be a positive sign for the midterms.
▪ The Hill: Five things to watch in the race.
▪ News Channel 5 Nashville: What to expect in Tennessee's special election.
HEALTH CARE WINDOW CLOSING: A deal to extend the expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, which are set to run out at the end of the month, seems increasingly doubtful before the pending deadline.
The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports Senate Republicans don't expect a bipartisan deal to come together before Congress breaks for Christmas and New Year's. A group of moderate Republicans had been advocating for an extension to prevent their constituents from facing a major spike in their premiums, but any agreement with Democrats faces tough odds without leadership's backing.
Democrats were promised a vote on extending the subsidies as part of the deal to reopen the government. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) expressed skepticism on Monday that Republicans would be on board with the legislation.
"My assumption is that by next week when we have to have that vote, that we might not be far enough along on the bipartisan discussions," he told reporters.
Thune said the "conversations are still active on a solution," but he warned "there are some significant sticking points."
In the House, Democrats are collecting signatures for a discharge petition to force a vote on a three-year extension of the subsidies, but it is currently six short of reaching the threshold with no Republicans.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) pressed moderate Republicans to help Democrats extend the subsidies in a "Dear Colleague" letter released Monday.
"We only need a handful of Republicans to join us in order to save the healthcare of tens of millions of Americans," he wrote. "It's time for the do-nothing Republican Congress to proceed with urgency."
If lawmakers are unable to find a deal by the end of December, more than 20 million Americans who receive their health insurance through the ObamaCare marketplace will see their premiums spike in the new year.
▪ The Hill: Senate Democrats says subsidy vote will happen before new year.
INDIANA MAP: Indiana state House Republicans have unveiled a new congressional map they hope to get approved in time for next year's midterms, though doubts remain as to its feasibility.
The map is designed to flip the state's two House seats currently held by Democrats: Reps. Frank Mrvan in the state's 1st District and André Carson in the 7th District.
Trump and other national Republicans have pushed Indiana lawmakers to pass a new 9-0 Republican district map as part of the national redistricting battle that's been ongoing for months. With the House closely divided, every seat will count in deciding which party wins the House next year.
But whether the map can pass in the state Senate seems uncertain. Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray (R) said last month that the chamber would reconvene in December to make a "final decision" about any redistricting proposals from the state House, but several GOP state senators have signaled their opposition to redrawing the congressional lines.
HABBA DISQUALIFIED: A federal appeals court panel has upheld a federal judge's ruling disqualifying Alina Habba as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey, dealing another blow to Trump's efforts to keep his U.S. attorney choices in place without Senate confirmation.
The three-judge panel ruled unanimously that Habba, who previously served as Trump's personal attorney, had not been lawfully serving as U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey. She was initially disqualified in August after a federal judge ruled that she had improperly continued serving following the end of her interim 120-day term.
The ruling had been paused to allow the Department of Justice to appeal.
Habba was the first of Trump's U.S. attorney picks to be disqualified, and three others have followed. These include Lindsey Halligan, whose appointment a judge ruled last week was unlawful.
That resulted in criminal cases being dismissed against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D).
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