Aftyn Behn
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Aftyn Alyssa Behn, born November 24, 1989, is an American politician who has represented the 51st district of the Tennessee House of Representatives since 2023. A Democrat, she is running in the 2025 special election for Tennessee's 7th congressional district.
Behn was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and graduated from the Webb School of Knoxville in 2008. She went on to earn liberal arts and psychology degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, graduating in 2012. She furthered her education at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, obtaining an MSW degree in administration and policy practice in 2016, along with a portfolio certificate from the Texas Center for Disability Studies.
Her career began in 2017 as a healthcare community organizer for the Tennessee Justice Center. In 2018, Behn became the lead organizer for Enough is Enough TN, a campaign focused on the expulsion of state representative David Byrd following accusations of sexual assault. Her activism led to her forcible removal from the Tennessee House chambers in 2019 after protesting for Byrd's resignation. Behn also opposed the 2023 Tennessee House of Representatives expulsions, organizing protests outside the State Capitol.
In 2023, following the death of state representative Bill Beck, Behn successfully campaigned for the 51st district in a special election. Endorsed by prominent organizations and individuals, she defeated interim representative Anthony Davis in the August primary and secured a decisive victory in the general election.
As a state representative, Behn has championed key legislative initiatives. In November 2023, she proposed repealing the Tennessee sales tax on groceries. In June 2024, she and attorney Rachel Welty filed a lawsuit challenging a state law they believe violates the First Amendment by criminalizing certain speech. A federal judge temporarily blocked the law in September 2024. In December 2024, Behn announced legislation to codify the Equal Rights Amendment into the Tennessee constitution.
Demonstrating a commitment to bipartisan cooperation, Behn partnered with Republican Todd Warner in 2024 to sponsor legislation reforming how the Tennessee General Assembly handles workplace harassment and discrimination complaints. Their bill proposed shifting investigations to an independent liaison working with the state attorney general's office, aiming to enhance transparency and reduce political interference. In May 2025, Behn engaged in direct action, filming herself confronting ICE agents during patrols in Nashville, which led to accusations from federal officials, including U.S. Representative Andy Ogles, of obstructing law enforcement operations.
On July 9, 2025, Aftyn Behn announced her candidacy for the special election in Tennessee's 7th congressional district, triggered by the resignation of Republican Mark Green. Supported by the Knoxville Democratic Socialists of America, Behn won the Democratic primary on October 7, 2025, defeating fellow state representatives Vincent Dixie and Bo Mitchell, as well as businessman Darden Copeland. She is set to face Republican Matt Van Epps in the general election on December 2, 2025. During the campaign's final weeks, her opponent released audio from a 2020 podcast where Behn expressed a critical view of Nashville's "it" city status. Behn responded on Twitter, clarifying her affection for the city and explaining to Al Sharpton that her comments were a relatable annoyance with tourists, not a rejection of Nashville itself.
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Aftyn Alyssa Behn (born November 24, 1989) is an American politician who has represented the 51st district of the Tennessee House of Representatives since 2023.
A Democrat, she is running in the 2025 special election for Tennessee's 7th congressional district.
== Education and early career ==
Behn was born on November 24, 1989, in Knoxville, Tennessee. She graduated from the Webb School of Knoxville in 2008. She earned liberal arts and psychology degrees from University of Texas at Austin graduating in 2012. She attended the Steve Hicks School of Social Work graduating in 2016 with a MSW degree in administration and policy practice and a portfolio certificate from the Texas Center for Disability Studies.
In 2017, Behn was the healthcare community organizer for the Tennessee Justice Center.
In 2018, Behn was the lead organizer for Enough is Enough TN, a campaign advocating for the expulsion of state representative David Byrd after he was accused of sexually assaulting underage girls. In 2019, she was forcibly removed from the Tennessee House chambers after shouting at speaker Glen Casada during a legislative session as part of a protest demanding Byrd’s resignation. Behn opposed the 2023 Tennessee House of Representatives expulsions and organized protests outside the State Capitol.
== Political career ==
=== Tennessee House of Representatives ===
In 2023, after the death of five-term state representative Bill Beck, Behn campaigned in a special election for the 51st district of the Tennessee House of Representatives. She was endorsed by Gloria Johnson, Tennessee College Democrats, the Tennessee AFL-CIO and Equity Alliance Fund. The Nashville Metro Council appointed former councilmember Anthony Davis to serve as interim representative until the special election in September. Behn defeated Davis in the August primary with 53.46% of the vote. She won the general election with 75.61% of the vote.
On November 20, 2023, Behn announced her legislative proposal to repeal the Tennessee sales tax on groceries. On June 24, 2024, she and Nashville attorney Rachel Welty filed a lawsuit against the state of Tennessee challenging a law passed during the 2025 legislation that they believe criminalizes certain speech in violation of the First Amendment. A federal judge temporarily blocked the law in September 2024. On December 2, 2024, Behn announced legislation to codify the Equal Rights Amendment in the Tennessee constitution.
In 2024, Behn partnered with Republican Todd Warner to sponsor bipartisan legislation aimed at reforming how the Tennessee General Assembly handles workplace harassment and discrimination complaints. Their bill, House Bill 2533, proposed shifting the investigation process from internal legislative oversight to an independent liaison working with the state attorney general's office. This move was intended to increase transparency and reduce political interference in handling sensitive allegations.
In May 2025, Behn physically followed ICE around Nashville and filmed herself confronting agents as they conducted their patrols. Federal officials, including U.S. Representative Andy Ogles, accused Behn of obstructing law enforcement operations.
=== U.S. House campaign ===
On July 9, 2025, Behn announced she would run in the upcoming special election for Tennessee's 7th congressional district. The election was triggered by the resignation of Republican Mark Green, who took a private sector job after voting to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Behn was supported by the Knoxville Democratic Socialists of America.
Behn defeated fellow state representatives Vincent Dixie and Bo Mitchell, as well as businessman Darden Copeland, in the Democratic primary on October 7, 2025. She will face Republican Matt Van Epps in the general election scheduled for December 2, 2025. During the last weeks of the campaign, her opponent released audio from a 2020 podcast in which Behn said 'I hate all of the things that apparently make Nashville an "it" city to the rest of the country.' Behn responded on Twitter that she did not hate the city she represented with laughing emojis and told Al Sharpton that "As a Nashvillian, I think we all get a little annoyed with the tourists that come to town".
== References ==
== External links ==
Aftyn for Congress campaign website
Representative Aftyn Behn legislative website
Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
Profile at Vote Smart
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