Candidate Highlight: Aftyn Behn

Why is Aftyn Behn running for Congress? “I’m a pissed-off social worker in the South,” Tenn. State Representative Behn explained to CNN’s Audie Cornish.  “I think for me, it’s a moment where people are angry, I’m angry.  I’m upset that my constituents are losing their benefits.  I’m upset that people are struggling to afford the basic cost of living.” 

Representative Mark Green, who used to represent Tennessee’s Seventh Congressional District, announced his retirement in late July.  The special election for that vacancy will be held on December 2, 2025.

Aftyn Behn is the Democratic nominee in that district.  She is a former social worker and healthcare organizer for the Tennessee Justice Center, as well as the lead organizer for Enough Is Enough TN, which advocated for removing a state representative who had sexually abused young girls, and a district organizer for Indivisible.

Behn was elected to the state legislature in 2023, with the endorsement of the Tennessee AFL-CIO.  She sponsored bipartisan legislation to reform the way that the state legislature handles workplace harassment and discrimination complaints, and she proposed abolishing the Tennessee sales tax on groceries.

Behn framed her primary campaign in terms of economic populism.  “The culture wars are a distraction from the real issue, which are economic issues.”  She added, “Cheaper groceries, affording rent, these are issues that really resonate with young folks. And I think if the Democratic Party can become a party of the economy, of economic populism, then they can rein in both independents and young people.”  

Behn won the Democratic primary for that seat in a four-way race.  Her general election opponent is Matt Van Epps, who has been endorsed by Trump.

State legislators decided in 2020 to “crack” Nashville’s former congressional district into three majority-Republican districts, since a majority of Nashville residents vote for Democrats.  TN-07, created because of that gerrymander, includes some heavily Democratic parts of Nashville, some affluent suburbs and exurbs, the city of Clarksville, and rural areas between the Kentucky and Alabama state lines.

If this were a normal political year, it would be difficult for any Democrat to win TN-07.  Trump won the district by 22 points in 2024.  Green won by 20 points that year.

But this is not a normal year.  Democrats overperformed their opponents in two special elections in Florida by 15 points this April.  Behn’s populist message, the impact of Trump’s economic bill on rural health care, and a failing economy for middle-income Americans mean that she has a realistic chance of winning.

In her acceptance speech, Behn said, “We are hungry for something real. We are tired of watching billionaires hoard power while families can’t afford groceries.  We’re tired of potholes, hospital closures, and politicians who cash checks instead of keeping promises. Tonight, Tennessee sent a message, and that message is: women can still fight, organizers can still win, and Democrats in the Deep South aren’t done yet.”

The Stand Up for Workers PAC has endorsed her candidacy in addition to the Tennessee AFL-CIO.  Her populist message will appeal to all voters in TN-07.  That is particularly true given the economic pain that Trump and congressional Republicans have imposed on the working class and rural Americans.  If Behn can win in heavily Republican counties in middle Tennessee, Democrats will be able to compete in almost every congressional district in 2026.