Matt Van Epps

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., swore in newly elected Rep. Matt Van Epps, R-Tenn., on Thursday morning, less than two days after Van Epps won a surprisingly close election that political observers viewed as a test of GOP favorability heading into next year's midterms.

An Army veteran, Van Epps will replace former Rep. Mark Green, who resigned to take a private-sector job. Van Epps previously served as Tennessee's commissioner of General Services.

Van Epps defeated Democrat state Rep. Aftyn Behn by roughly 9 percentage points, but the margin was far smaller than the 22-point advantage President Donald Trump posted in the district last year.

Critics noted that Johnson moved more quickly to swear in Van Epps than he did Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., who won a special election in September to replace her late father.