Matt Van Epps
RepublicanU.S. Representative, TN-7| Age | 43 (b. 1983-03-29) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2025-12-04 (~0 yrs) |
| Religion | Christian |
| Education | B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point (2005); Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Prior occupation | U.S. Army officer / special operations helicopter pilot; Tennessee state government official (Asst. Commissioner of Veterans Services, Asst. Director of Transportation, Deputy COO in Gov. Bill Lee's office, Commissioner of General Services); Senior VP of Operations at Main Street Health; founder of Darkhorse Strategy, LLC |
| Military service | Yes: United States Army (active 2005-2015); Tennessee Army National Guard (2015-present) (Lieutenant Colonel) |
| Birthplace | Ohio, United States |
| Marital status | Married — Meg Wrather |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence | Nashville, Tennessee |
Pending research: race / ethnicity · languages · notable relatives · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2025 |
| Previous offices | Commissioner, Tennessee Department of General Services (2024-2025) · Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Office of Governor Bill Lee (2020-2023) · Assistant Director, Tennessee Department of Transportation (2019-2020) · Assistant Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Veterans Services (2016-2019) |
| Committees | Committee on Homeland Security · Committee on Science, Space, and Technology |
| Caucuses | Republican Study Committee |
| Ideology | Self-described 'fiscal hawk'; endorsed by President Donald Trump, Gov. Bill Lee, and predecessor Mark Green; aligned with mainstream Republican positions |
Financial
No holdings recorded yet (from official Financial Disclosure filings).
Top donors: Conservatives for American Excellence (super PAC; primarily funded by Ken Griffin and Paul Singer) (~$600,000 in independent expenditures supporting Van Epps in the primary)
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.