President Donald Trump called on Tennesseans to vote for Matt Van Epps, the Republican nominee in the special election for the Volunteer State’s 7th Congressional District, in a Truth Social post on Sunday.

Just two days ahead of the election on Dec. 2, Trump urged “all America First Patriots in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, who haven’t voted yet, to please GET OUT AND VOTE.”

The president claimed that Van Epps’ Democratic opponent, state Rep. Aftyn Behn, “hates Christianity, will take away your guns, wants Open Borders, Transgender for everybody, men in women’s sports, and openly disdains Country music.”

“She said all of these things precisely, and without question — IT’S ON TAPE!” Trump claimed. “Do not take this Race for granted.”

MARK GREEN RESIGNS FROM CONGRESS, FURTHER SHRINKING HOUSE GOP MAJORITY

“The Radical Left Democrats are spending a fortune to beat one of the best Candidates we’ve ever had, Matt Van Epps!”

Trump concluded that Van Epps has his “Complete and Total Endorsement” and “WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

Van Epps, a lieutenant colonel in the Tennessee Army National Guard and a former Army helicopter pilot, was formally endorsed by Trump earlier this year and called his support “an incredible honor.”

TENNESSEE GOVERNOR BACKS MILITARY VETERAN JUST DAYS BEFORE CROWDED PRIMARY ELECTION

Trump’s post comes as Behn draws national attention for her past comments, ranging from anti-police rhetoric to her dislike of country music and Nashville’s drinking culture.

The Democrat was also once a frequent advocate for cutting police funding, even suggesting that the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department should be defunded.

Last week, Behn was asked to clarify her previous remarks during an episode of MS NOW’s “The Weekend.”

“In 2020, you made some tweets that have since been deleted that were very critical of police… 2020 was obviously a very fraught year. Do you still stand by those comments? And if not, is there anything you want to clarify?” host Catherine Rampell asked.

“I’m not going to engage in cable news talking points, but what I will say is that, you know, our communities need solutions,” Behn responded. “We need local people deciding, solving local problems with local solutions. And that’s not the overreach of a federal government or state government of which we are dealing with in Nashville and our cities across the state of Tennessee.”

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser, Alec Schemmel and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

A few weeks ago, Katie Porter’s campaign for California governor was reeling. A day after an irritable TV interview went viral, an old video surfaced of the former Orange County congresswoman cursing and berating one of her aides.

Around the same time, the race for U.S. Senate in Maine was shaken by a number of disturbing online posts. In them, Democratic hopeful Graham Platner disparaged police and Black people, among other crude remarks. Soon after, it was revealed Platner had a chest tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol.

Meanwhile, in Virginia, several old text messages swallowed attorney general nominee Jay Jones in a cumulus of controversy. The Democrat had joked about shooting the Republican leader of the state House and blithely spoken of watching his children die in their mother’s arms.

Once — say, 20 or 30 years ago — those blow-ups might have been enough to chase each of those embattled candidates from their respective races, and maybe even end their political careers altogether.

But in California, Porter has pressed on and remains in the top tier of the crowded gubernatorial field. In Maine, Platner continues to draw large, enthusiastic crowds and leads polling in the Democratic primary. In Virginia, Jones was just elected attorney general, defeating his Republican opponent by a comfortable margin.

Clearly, things have changed.

Actions that once caused eyes to widen, such as the recreational puffs of marijuana that cost appeals court judge Douglas Ginsburg a Supreme Court seat under President Reagan, now seem quaint. Personal indiscretions once seen as disqualifying, such as the extramarital affair that chased Gary Hart from the 1988 presidential race, scarcely raise an eyebrow.

And the old political playbook — confession, contrition, capitulation — is obviously no longer operative, as candidates find it not only possible but even advantageous to brazen their way through storms of uproar and opprobrium.

Look no further than the extravagantly checkered occupant of the White House. Donald Trump has seemingly survived more controversies — not to mention two impeachments, an $83.3-million judgment in a sexual abuse and defamation case and conviction on 34 felony counts — than there are stars winking in the nighttime sky.

Bill Carrick has spent decades strategizing for Democratic office-seekers. A generation or so ago, if faced with a serious scandal, he would have told his candidate, “This is not going to be sustainable and you just better get out.” But now, Carrick said, “I would be very reluctant to tell somebody that, unless there was evidence they had murdered or kidnapped somebody, or robbed a bank.”

Kevin Madden, a veteran Republican communications strategist, agreed. Surrender has become passe. Survival is the new fallback mode.

“The one thing that many politicians of both parties have learned is that there is an opportunity to grind it out, to ride the storm out,” Madden said. “If you think a news issue is going viral or becoming the topic everyone’s talking about, just wait. A new scandal … or a new shiny object will be along.”

One reason for the changing nature of political scandal, and its prognosis, is the way we now take in information, both selectively and in bulk.

With the chance to personally curate their news feed — and reinforce their attitude and outlook — people can select those things they wish to know about, and choose those they care to ignore. With such fragmentation, it’s much harder for a negative storyline to reach critical mass. That requires a mass audience.

“A lot of scandals may not have the impact that they once had because people are in these silos or echo chambers,” said Scott Basinger, a University of Houston political scientist who’s extensively studied the nature of political scandal. “They may not even hear about it, if they don’t want to hear about it.”

The sheer velocity of information — “not only delivered to you on your doorstep, or at 6:30 p.m. by the three networks, but also in your pocket, in your hand at all times, across multiple platforms,” as Madden put it — also makes events more fleeting. That makes it harder for any one to penetrate deeply or resonate widely.

“In a world where there’s a wealth of information,” he said, “there’s a poverty of attention.”

Seven months after abruptly dropping out of the 1988 presidential race, Hart jumped back into the contest. “Let’s let the people decide,” he said, after confessing his marital sins.

(He also said in the same interview, a few months before relaunching his candidacy, that he had no intention of doing so.)

Hart did not fare well. Once he’d been the overwhelming front-runner for the Democratic nomination. As a reincarnated candidate, he trudged on for a few months before dropping out for good, having failed to secure a single convention delegate or win double-digit support in any contest.

“The people have decided,” he said, “and now I should not go forward.”

That’s how it should be.

Porter in California and Platner in Maine both faced calls to drop out of their respective races, with critics questioning their conduct and whether they had the right temperament to serve, respectively, as California governor or a U.S. senator. Each has expressed contrition for their actions. (As did Jones, Virginia’s attorney general-elect.)

Voters can take all that into account when they pick their candidate.

If they want a governor who drops f-bombs and snaps at aides, a senator with a history of off-putting remarks or — gulp — an adulterous convicted felon in the White House, that’s their choice.

Let the people decide.

Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, announced on Saturday that he will not seek re-election in 2026 so he can focus on his family, and his own twin brother subsequently revealed his candidacy to fill the open seat.

The congressman said he made the decision after speaking with his family over Thanksgiving. He has served in the U.S. House since 2021.

“After more than 30 years in law enforcement serving and protecting my community as a police officer, constable, Fort Bend County Sheriff, an Army veteran, and six years representing this district in Congress, I have made the decision, after conversations with my beautiful bride and my girls over the Thanksgiving holiday, to focus on my family and return home after this Congress,” he wrote on X.

An ally of President Donald Trump, Nehls said he notified the commander-in-chief of his plans before making his announcement public.

SENIOR REPUBLICAN SAYS HE’LL ‘MISS THE CLOWNS,’ NOT ‘THE CIRCUS’ AS HE EYES LIFE AFTER CONGRESS

“Before making this decision, I called President Trump personally to let him know of my plans,” Nehls said. “President Trump has always been a strong ally for our district and a true friend, and I wanted him to hear it from me first.”

“Serving this country in the military, serving our community in law enforcement, and serving this district in Congress has been the honor of my life,” he continued. “Thank you for your trust, your friendship, and your prayers.”

Nehls, 57, has been a big supporter of Trump’s mass deportation agenda. The House Judiciary Committee advanced his legislation earlier this month that would remove barriers to illegal migrant deportations. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced a similar measure in the Senate.

TEXAS RACE TO REPLACE DECEASED DEMOCRAT ADVANCES TO RUNOFF

The congressman also co-sponsored a bill to put Trump on the $100 bill to honor the president. He also called for renaming Dulles International Airport after Trump and for the Republican Party to support whatever Trump says or does.

Nehls previously served as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves and was deployed to combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also worked in law enforcement for many years.

The Texas congressman joins a growing list of Republican lawmakers who have decided not to retain their seat, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who announced earlier this month amid her feud with Trump that she would step down in January.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

After Nehls announced his plans to retire, his identical twin brother, Trever Nehls, said he would be running for his brother’s seat.

“I am honored to announce my candidacy for Congressional District 22 to continue fighting for the people of this district,” he wrote on Facebook. “District 22 needs a Representative who will follow in Troy’s footsteps and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with President Trump to defend our conservative values, secure the border, protect our families, and oppose the reckless and radical agenda that Democrats continue to press upon the American people. I’m ready to take up that fight.”