Aftyn Behn wins 7th Congressional District Democratic primary

State Rep. Aftyn Behn is projected to win the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 7th Congressional District on Tuesday, beating out a crowded field on a compressed election timeline. Behn’s high name recognition and progressive platform helped bring out voters in an otherwise low-turnout, off-cycle primary. Republican Rep. Mark Green, who abruptly resigned from Congress over the summer, won the seat by 21 percentage points in November, suggesting long odds for Behn in the Dec. 2 general election. 

Though Behn lives just outside the district, she has a long history as a progressive organizer, particularly around rural health care — a central issue in the sprawling 14-county district. Behn’s proud progressive stances and insistence on younger Democratic standard-bearers separated her from fellow Nashville state Reps. Bo Mitchell and Vincent Dixie, as well as well-funded political strategist Darden Copeland. Behn’s campaign quickly earned national media attention as a potential Democratic upset.