Voters are heading to the polls Tuesday in central Tennessee for a special election to fill the House seat in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District. The race could be a referendum on President Trump. CBS News' Nicole Valdes reports.

Tennessee

A special election is taking place in Tennessee to fill a vacant US House seat, with Republican Matt Van Epps and Democrat Afton Bain competing in a district previously won by former President Trump by over 20 points. Recent polling from Emerson College shows Van Epps with a narrow 2% lead, while 10% of respondents are either undecided or not planning to vote, making the outcome uncertain.

Both candidates have focused their campaigns on economic issues such as affordability, housing, and energy. The race has attracted national attention and significant financial support from both parties, as the result could impact the slim Republican majority in the House. High-profile figures, including President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, have campaigned for Van Epps, while both parties are working to maximize voter turnout.

Polling shows close race in Tennessee special election

Happening today in Tennessee, a special election to fill an empty seat in the US House. You see their head to head in the race on the right Republican Matt Van Epps on the left Democrat Afton Bain. The district in play is one President Trump carried by the way by more than 20 points in last year's election. But get this yesterday, both candidates saw some new polling and they made these closing arguments to voters. I think voters are feeling that this Washington Republican economic agenda has not delivered and that we have a Republican trifecta at the state level. We Republican trifecta at the federal level and groceries aren't cheaper. Utilities aren't cheaper. Rent isn't cheaper, but we're going to win decisively tomorrow when everyone gets out to vote. And that that's what we're trying for. This is about America first. As a speaker said, the margins in Congress are so are so narrow and this is about the direction we want to move our country. Alright, so let's look at some polling. Emerson College shows Republican Matt Van Epps has a 2% lead, but consider this 5% of respondents say they're not going to vote. 5% of respondents say they are undecided, so it's a dogfight. President Trump knows this. He made a push for the Republican candidate. He cheered him on social media and also called in to a Van Epps rally last night. I have to say the whole world is watching. This is a big deal because right now we're like three votes up on the radical left and this would be a wonderful victory for us. It'll be really a positive sign. CBS News correspondent Nicole Valdez joins us live once again in Nashville. Watching this so Nicole, the Republican candidate is two points up, but those undecided voters polled would suggest that there's still a dog in the fight for Democrats. What issues are they using? I heard affordability there. What else is driving voters to the polls? Hey, we are both candidates really focusing in on affordability, housing, energy, a lot of the issues that Tennesseans really put a lot of focus on. But I think at the end of the day, the reason why this race has gotten so much national attention has become not only so competitive but is now called so critical is because of the several factors that we're looking at in Washington. That narrow margin for Republicans in the House is certainly key here. And why this race is getting not only so much attention and really getting so much money from both parties. The Democratic candidate here, Afton Bain says she certainly still believes that anything is possible despite this being a historically red district while Republican Matt Van Epp says he believes he will still win decisively and doesn't just want to win but wants to win. By a large margin, if he does pull that off, the question will be how much did he win by? Because if we do see a much smaller margin this year, there are some who really believe that does still send a message to Washington to President Trump that voters who may have always voted Republican may be shifting on some of those very issues that these candidates are trying to use to really boost their chances at winning that seat. Well, you heard Afton Bain say affordability, affordability, and the cost of groceries, even despite Republican leaderships having that advantage in Congress. Speaking of Congress, did I see in that video House Speaker Mike Johnson also there in Tennessee? Yes, you did. He traveled to Tennessee yesterday to campaign alongside Van Epps on the eve of Election Day, saying he wanted to do so to really energize those supporters to get out. He knows it's a workday. He knows that unfortunately we're dealing with some freezing temperatures today but still wanted to make sure that those Republican voters went out and cast their ballot for Matt Van Epps. And something of note that he pointed out here is that this is a special election. It is tricky. We're also talking about a district that encompasses parts of 14 counties in the state of Tennessee, a place where voters may have different opinions, but another reason why he says he wanted to make the trip down listen here. People take for granted when you're in a deep red district like this in a deep red state like Tennessee that the Republican will just win automatically. Nothing is automatic. The Democrats are spending millions of dollars here. They're bringing in all their heavy hitters because they think they can flip this seat from red to blue. That is not going to happen. Now it is important to note that really both parties have put in a lot of time and a lot of money into advertising as well. Some of those super PACs here to once again give their candidate that boost. So you heard the speaker there. This is clearly a competitive race, one that heavy hitters on both sides are now putting their names on. Really spending time helping these candidates try to get those votes in. A lot of the results could very well rely as well. Read on voter turnout. How many people actually do go and cast that ballot and how much of a difference will they make when polls close tonight? Yeah, that voter turnout will also have a lot to say. Nicole Valdez. Always great talking to you. You have a good day.

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Breakdown