Tennessee Special Election: Hard-Left Democrat Challenges Battle-Tested GOP Veteran

NASHVILLE, TN - In Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District’s special election coming up this week, voters have two clear choices–Republican Matthew Van Epps, 39, an Army helicopter pilot and combat veteran and veteran government official–or State Representative and unhinged lunatic Aftyn Behn, 36, who has been crowned the “AOC of Tennessee by another unhinged nut, leftist activist David Hogg. The choice for District 7 voters could not be clearer. 

In Van Epps, voters have a man who has been endorsed by President Trump and served in the administration of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, running the Department of General Services, where he “oversaw statewide procurement, facilities management, and essential services that touch every department in Tennessee government,” according to the Daily Wire. 

Van Epps defines himself as a “conservative warrior” and has promised to advance President Trump’s “America First agenda.” Aside from President Trump, Van Epps has been endorsed by former Rep. Mark Green, whose seat he is running for, Gov. Lee, and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). 

Behn is an anti-police zealot who, in 2020, spoke out in support of the George Floyd riots, even supporting the burning down of police stations. She posted on social media at the time, writing, “Good morning, especially to the 54% of Americans who believe burning down a police station is justified.” She has refused to walk back those remarks. 

Behn is opposed to the administration’s mass deportation efforts, and earlier this year, she followed ICE agents and Tennessee Highway Patrol officers as they engaged in immigration arrests in and around Nashville. She refers to the mass deportation efforts as “state-sponsored fear and violence.” 

Considering Behn is trying to win an election in a district that represents Nashville, she doesn’t profess a lot of love for “Music City.” In a 2020 podcast, Behn slammed the city, including the music that has made it famous, according to The New York Post.  

“I hate the city. I hate the bachelorettes. I hate the pedal taverns. I hate country music. I hate all of the things that make Nashville apparently an ‘it’ city to the rest of the country. But I hate it,” she said.

The 7th District is located in central and western Tennessee, stretching from Kentucky to Alabama. By all measures, it is solidly red, with President Trump carrying the district by 22 points in the 2024 general election. However, the district includes parts of Nashville, a Democratic stronghold, which could make her hatred of the city a potential issue in the special election. 

In a social media post earlier this month, the Republican National Committee highlighted Behn’s dislike of the largest city in the 7th District. 

“The Democrat running in a special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, Aftyn Behn, is running on the message: ‘I hate this place, elect me!’ Tennessee deserves better.” 

With Republicans holding a narrow margin in the House, the special election has drawn attention from national Republicans and Democrats. Democrats, who won elections earlier in November in bright blue cities and states, believe they have a mandate, with Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin believing that they have “an excellent shot to win.” 

Meanwhile, Republicans are drawing attention to Behn’s unhinged rants, including a 2019 op-ed where she wrote, “Tennessee is a racist state, and so is its legislature,” that appeared in The Tennessean newspaper. 

“If Behn hates Tennessee so much, why is she trying to represent it?” Republicans wrote in a social media post. 

The election could come down to turnout. If Republicans show up, Van Epps should win easily. If they don’t, the unhinged Behn could join the other Democratic nutcases in Congress, such as AOC, Omar, Tlaib, Crockett, and Pressley, among many others.