GOBLIN HOUSE
[ Enter Database → ]
GOBLIN HOUSE
[ Enter Database → ]
Area: Full Workup (one official, all sections) (eo_full_workup)
Filed: 2026-05-03T17:00:11.000Z
Source: External LLM via /handoff/congress (attempt #82326)
Resolved official: Matt Van Epps (entity #10818)
Ingest result: 36 facts · 38 sources · 3 silences · 2 contradictions · 3 voting_records · 2 skipped
Single super-prompt covering every per-official research area in one LLM call: donor mapping, silences, contradictions, telling votes, and constituency baseline. The LLM returns ONE JSON object; the ingest pipeline dispatches each section to its typed table independently, so a malformed or no-data section never blocks the rest.
{
"target_official": {
"name": "Matt Van Epps",
"bioguide_id": "V000139"
},
"donor_mapping": {
"facts": [
{
"fact_text": "Van Epps' principal campaign committee (C00908202) raised $1,977,967 in total contributions through March 31, 2026: $1,485,062 from individuals ($1,076,189 itemized, $408,874 unitemized), $7,305 from party committees, and $485,600 from other committee (PAC) contributions. Zero candidate self-financing.",
"date_occurred": "2026-03-31",
"confidence": "primary",
"source_url": "https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00908202/"
},
{
"fact_text": "Fox 17 News analysis of FEC data found 91% of Van Epps' $685,381 in individual contributions during the special election came from donors giving more than $200. Van Epps received nearly 6 times the amount of PAC money as his Democratic opponent Behn.",
"date_occurred": "2025-11-26",
"confidence": "secondary",
"source_url": "https://fox17.com/newsletter-daily/aftyn-behn-matt-van-epps-federal-election-commission-data-shows-how-donors-are-fueling-the-district-7-congressional-race"
},
{
"fact_text": "MAGA Inc. reported $684,187 in independent expenditures supporting Van Epps in the 2025 special election, including $401,372 for digital advertising and $21,450 for radio ads placed in November 2025.",
"date_occurred": "2025-11-19",
"confidence": "primary",
"source_url": "https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00892471/1925683/se"
},
{
"fact_text": "Out-of-state PACs poured millions into the TN-07 special election. Van Epps received more than $500,000 in outside PAC support, much of it traceable to a PAC funded by the parents of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.",
"date_occurred": "2025-10-02",
"confidence": "secondary",
"source_url": "https://www.tba.org/?blAction=showEntry&blogEntry=132152&pg=LawBlog"
},
{
"fact_text": "Club for Growth PAC endorsed Van Epps and its affiliated School Freedom Fund ran ads highlighting Trump's endorsement of Van Epps. The School Freedom Fund, bankrolled solely by billionaire Jeff Yass, spent over $500,000 against GOP primary opponent Jody Barrett.",
"date_occurred": "2025-10-03",
"confidence": "secondary",
"source_url": "https://www.clubforgrowth.org/cfg-pac-endorses-matt-van-epps-in-tn-07/"
},
{
"fact_text": "Van Epps owns Darkhorse Strategies LLC, a consulting firm bridging government and business, founded in 2024. He previously served as Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services (2024-2025) and worked in the Veterans Services and Transportation departments under both Gov. Haslam and Gov. Lee.",
"date_occurred": "2024-12-31",
"confidence": "secondary",
"source_url": "https://heartlandsignal.com/2025/12/02/republican-matt-van-epps-wins-tennessee-congressional-special-election-in-unexpectedly-close-race/"
}
],
"connections": [
{
"donor_entity_name": "Club for Growth",
"relationship_type": "major_donor",
"description": "2025: Endorsed Van Epps in TN-07 special election; affiliated School Freedom Fund ran independent expenditure ads supporting Van Epps during the primary and general election.",
"confidence": "secondary",
"source_url": "https://www.clubforgrowth.org/cfg-pac-endorses-matt-van-epps-in-tn-07/"
},
{
"donor_entity_name": "RNC",
"relationship_type": "pac_donor",
"description": "2025: Republican National Committee provided grassroots support and coordinated voter-contact efforts for Van Epps' special election campaign.",
"confidence": "secondary",
"source_url": "https://tennesseestar.com/2025/12/02/republican-matt-van-epps-declared-winner-of-tn-7-special-election/"
}
]
},
"silences": [
{
"topic": "Policy questionnaire from Nashville Banner during 2025 general election campaign",
"expected_position": "As a candidate for federal office, Van Epps would be expected to respond to a nonpartisan local newspaper's policy questionnaire covering issues currently before Congress (inflation, tariffs, abortion, infrastructure, whether Congress should investigate Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell's conduct).",
"window_start": "2025-10-07",
"window_end": "2025-11-12",
"evidence_summary": "The Nashville Banner sent a policy questionnaire to all TN-07 general election candidates. Van Epps' campaign did not respond. The Banner framed the exercise as basic voter accountability and received 'crickets' from Van Epps. During this same window, Van Epps was actively doing media appearances including Inside Politics (Nov. 1) and Breitbart News Daily (Dec. 2), and maintaining campaign social media activity.",
"primary_url": "https://tnpolitico.com/2025/10/22/tn7-race-quiet-mode/"
},
{
"topic": "No debate with Democratic opponent Aftyn Behn during general election",
"expected_position": "As a candidate seeking to represent the 7th District, Van Epps would be expected to participate in at least one public debate or forum with his general-election opponent, particularly given the district's competitive nature and national attention.",
"window_start": "2025-10-07",
"window_end": "2025-12-02",
"evidence_summary": "TNPOLITICO confirmed that as of October 20, 2025, neither major-party nominee had committed to a public debate and there was no announcement of any public face-to-face forum. Van Epps instead emphasized routine appearances with Republican officials and local party groups. During this window, Van Epps appeared on 'Inside Politics' and gave interviews to Breitbart and other outlets.",
"primary_url": "https://tnpolitico.com/2025/10/20/tn7-debate-silence-analysis/"
},
{
"topic": "Release of Jeffrey Epstein files",
"expected_position": "As a candidate for Congress, Van Epps would be expected to clarify his position on whether the Epstein files should be released, after third-party attack ads claimed he opposed their release.",
"window_start": "2025-11-14",
"window_end": "2025-12-02",
"evidence_summary": "A Your Community PAC ad warned voters 'The Epstein files are locked away. Matt Van Epps will keep them that way.' Axios and Raw Story reported the Epstein files had been injected into the race by Democrats. Van Epps did not publicly address the issue, leaving the ad unanswered. During this same window, Van Epps was actively campaigning and doing media appearances.",
"primary_url": "https://www.axios.com/2025/11/14/jeffrey-epstein-files-tennessee-special-election"
}
],
"contradictions": {
"claims": [
{
"claim_text": "Van Epps' campaign messaging and endorsements emphasized his military combat record, with his campaign logo featuring a silhouetted Chinook combat helicopter and his website featuring photos of him in military uniform. Trump called him a 'MAGA Warrior.' Van Epps stated on the House floor that he was an 'Army Special Operations helicopter pilot with nine combat tours.'",
"claim_date": "2025-12-04",
"claim_type": "statement",
"source_url": "https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/03/complaint-against-van-epps-army-uniform-campaign-ad/86182969007/"
},
{
"claim_text": "Tennessee veteran Dillon Scott filed a formal complaint alleging Van Epps violated U.S. Department of Defense rules by appearing in his U.S. Army uniform throughout a campaign ad, stating the uniform use 'improperly misleads voters about his military status' and violated regulations barring service members from making political appearances in uniform or engaging in activity 'that could reasonably give rise to the inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement.'",
"claim_date": "2025-10-03",
"claim_type": "statement",
"source_url": "https://www.rawstory.com/trump-endorsement-2674342740/"
},
{
"claim_text": "Van Epps ran as a pro-freedom, anti-mandate conservative aligned with Trump, with his campaign emphasizing 'Tennessee led the nation in opposing mandates' and 'protecting Tennesseans' personal freedoms' as the Lee administration's COVID-19 legacy.",
"claim_date": "2025-11-26",
"claim_type": "platform",
"source_url": "https://buckeyeswire.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/11/26/gop-nominee-matt-van-epps-pandemic/87107557007/"
},
{
"claim_text": "During the Republican primary, opponents attacked Van Epps as 'Tennessee's Fauci,' alleging he violated Tennesseans' individual freedoms in his role shaping the state's COVID-19 response. Van Epps served as strategic planner in Tennessee's Unified Command Group (March-May 2020) which issued stay-at-home orders, closed gyms and dine-in services, set masking policies, and defined essential/nonessential workers. He later served as deputy chief operating officer in the governor's office through 2023.",
"claim_date": "2025-10-01",
"claim_type": "statement",
"source_url": "https://buckeyeswire.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/11/26/gop-nominee-matt-van-epps-pandemic/87107557007/"
}
],
"contradictions": [
{
"claim_a_idx": 0,
"claim_b_idx": 1,
"type": "statement_vs_disclosure",
"severity": "medium",
"narrative": "Van Epps made his military service central to his campaign identity, but a formal complaint alleged his use of uniform in a campaign ad violated Pentagon regulations prohibiting political appearances in uniform. Van Epps' campaign dismissed the complaint as 'desperate nonsense.' The contradiction is not directly between two Van Epps statements but between his campaign's presentation of military credentials and allegations of improper military-proxy politicking."
},
{
"claim_a_idx": 2,
"claim_b_idx": 3,
"type": "position_evolution",
"severity": "medium",
"narrative": "Van Epps campaigned as an anti-mandate, pro-freedom conservative aligned with Trump while having served in the Tennessee Unified Command Group that crafted and executed stay-at-home orders, business closures, mask policies, and social-distancing mandates during the pandemic. His administrative role at the center of the state's COVID-19 response stands in tension with his campaign messaging opposing mandates. Gov. Lee's office described Van Epps' role as 'administrative,' not policy-making, but the contradiction between campaign rhetoric and pandemic-era government service remains."
}
]
},
"telling_votes": [
{
"bill_id": "H.R. 7147",
"title": "Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026",
"vote": "yea",
"vote_date": "2026-03-27",
"roll_call_url": "https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2026107",
"why_it_matters": "Van Epps voted Yea on final passage of the DHS appropriations bill (Roll no. 107) to end a weeks-long partial DHS shutdown. The vote aligned with GOP leadership and Trump's immigration enforcement agenda. His district includes Fort Campbell, a major military installation dependent on federal funding, making this a constituent-aligned vote for securing homeland security funding. However, the bill was controversial — House Democrats nearly unanimously opposed the motion to recommit on a 212-217 party-line vote (Roll no. 108), showing deep partisan division over DHS funding terms.",
"category": "constituent_aligned"
},
{
"bill_id": "H.R. 7613",
"title": "ALERT Act",
"vote": "yea_unverified",
"vote_date": "2026-04-14",
"roll_call_url": "https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7613",
"why_it_matters": "Van Epps voted Yea on passage of the ALERT Act, a national security bill. The vote aligns with his military-national security credentials and the defense sector presence in his district. Awaiting clerk roll-call confirmation for upgrade from unverified status.",
"category": "constituent_aligned"
},
{
"bill_id": "H.R. 8029",
"title": "Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act",
"vote": "yea",
"vote_date": "2026-03-26",
"roll_call_url": "https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2026104",
"why_it_matters": "Van Epps voted Yea on final passage of the Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act (Roll no. 104), which passed 218-206 with only 4 Democratic votes. The bill funded DHS operations during the partial shutdown. Van Epps' vote aligned with his House Homeland Security Committee membership and district interests given Fort Campbell's military presence. The tight party-line nature of the vote (213-0-4 Republican, 4-206-4 Democratic) illustrates the partisan pressure on Homeland Security funding.",
"category": "party_defection"
}
],
"constituency_baseline": {
"baseline": {
"district_summary": "Tennessee's 7th Congressional District encompasses 14 full counties across Middle and West Tennessee, with urban centers in Clarksville (Montgomery County), Franklin/Brentwood (Williamson County), and Columbia (Maury County), surrounded by extensive rural areas. The district has a population of approximately 791,000 with a median age of 35.6. It is predominantly White (Non-Hispanic) at 69.3%, with a significant Black population at 15.3% and Hispanic population of 8.2%. The district has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+20, making it one of Tennessee's most Republican districts, though Donald Trump carried it by 22 points in 2024. Median household income is approximately $75,800, well above the national median. Homeownership is 63.5%, poverty rate is 12.5%, and only 5.92% of residents are foreign-born. The district is car-dependent (74.1% drive alone). Fort Campbell, straddling the Kentucky border, is the largest employer in the region with a direct economic impact of $3.7 billion. Major private-sector employers include LG Electronics, Trane Technologies, and defense contractors supporting the base.",
"top_employers": [
{
"name": "Fort Campbell Army Base",
"employees": 26500,
"source_url": "https://tipstrategies.com/reports/clarksville-montgomery-county-economic-development-council-tn-labor-market-assessment/"
},
{
"name": "Montgomery County Public Schools",
"employees": 4500,
"source_url": "https://www.cmcss.net/"
},
{
"name": "Williamson County Public Schools",
"employees": 5000,
"source_url": "https://www.wcs.edu/"
},
{
"name": "LG Electronics (Clarksville facility)",
"employees": 900,
"source_url": "https://ryanboggs.viewtennesseehomes.com/blog/top-job-markets-in-middle-tennessee/"
},
{
"name": "Trane Technologies (Clarksville facility)",
"employees": 1400,
"source_url": "https://ryanboggs.viewtennesseehomes.com/blog/top-job-markets-in-middle-tennessee/"
}
],
"dominant_industries": [
{
"naics": "928110 - National Security",
"share": 0.22,
"source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-7-tn"
},
{
"naics": "611110 - Elementary and Secondary Schools",
"share": 0.10,
"source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-7-tn"
},
{
"naics": "622110 - General Medical and Surgical Hospitals",
"share": 0.08,
"source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-7-tn"
},
{
"naics": "722511 - Full-Service Restaurants",
"share": 0.05,
"source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-7-tn"
},
{
"naics": "484110 - General Freight Trucking",
"share": 0.04,
"source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-7-tn"
}
],
"recent_ballot_measures": [
{
"name": "Tennessee Constitutional Amendment 1 — Right to Work (2022)",
"year": 2022,
"result": "passed",
"margin": "69.8%-30.2%",
"source_url": "https://sos.tn.gov/elections/results"
}
],
"demographic_anchors": [
{
"label": "Median household income",
"value": "$75,800",
"source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-7-tn"
},
{
"label": "Population (2024)",
"value": "791,449",
"source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-7-tn"
},
{
"label": "Homeownership rate",
"value": "63.5%",
"source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-7-tn"
},
{
"label": "Bachelor's degree or higher",
"value": "29.3%",
"source_url": "https://legisletter.org/legislator/mark-green-G000590/district"
},
{
"label": "Poverty rate",
"value": "12.5%",
"source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-7-tn"
},
{
"label": "Median age",
"value": "35.6",
"source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-7-tn"
},
{
"label": "Foreign-born population",
"value": "5.92%",
"source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-7-tn"
},
{
"label": "Cook Partisan Voting Index",
"value": "R+20",
"source_url": "https://www.rothenberggonzalespoliticalreport.com/2025/09/30/tennessee-7-special-upset-in-the-making/"
},
{
"label": "Race/Ethnicity — White (Non-Hispanic)",
"value": "69.3%",
"source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-7-tn"
},
{
"label": "Race/Ethnicity — Black (Non-Hispanic)",
"value": "15.3%",
"source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-7-tn"
},
{
"label": "Race/Ethnicity — Hispanic",
"value": "8.2%",
"source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-7-tn"
}
]
}
}
}