A radical Democrat state lawmaker vying for Tennessee’s open U.S. House seat has repeatedly refused to walk back her past anti-police comments and disparaging remarks about Nashville.
It comes even as State Rep. Aftyn Behn tries to win over voters in one of Tennessee’s most conservative districts.
Behn is running against Republican Matt Van Epps in Tuesday’s special election for the 7th Congressional District.
She appeared on CNN’s “Inside Politics,” where host Manu Raju pressed her on a series of resurfaced posts from the 2020 riots.
In those posts, Behn reacted to the “George Floyd” “protests” by cheering on violence against law enforcement.
The Democrat lawmaker also pledged her support for the radical “defund the police” push embraced by the far Left.
Raju highlighted one deleted post in which Behn wrote:
“Good morning, especially to the 54% of Americans that believe burning down a police station is justified.”
He also noted her apparent endorsement of calls to “defund the police.”
When asked whether she regretted those statements, Behn declined to take responsibility, arguing that she made them as a “private citizen” during what she called a moment of national “accountability and safer policing.”
“What I’ve always believed is that communities need investment, to be safe,” she said, adding only that she “wouldn’t post things like that now.”
Behn Also Declines to Walk Back “I Hate Nashville” Comments
Raju then confronted Behn with another resurfaced moment, a 2020 podcast clip where she went on a tirade against Nashville, the anchor city in the district she now wants to represent.
In the recording, Behn was heard saying:
“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.”
Asked whether those comments were a mistake, Behn again refused to walk them back.
“Nashville is my home,” she insisted, brushing off her language as just typical local annoyance.
“Do I roll my eyes at the bachelorette parties and the pedal taverns that are blocking my access to my house?
“Yeah, every Nashvillean does.”
Sidesteps on ICE and Immigration Enforcement
The Democrat also dodged direct questions about whether she supports eliminating Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
It’s a position embraced by several prominent House progressives.
She also refused to answer whether she would oppose ICE operations in Nashville.
Raju noted that critics have dubbed Behn “the AOC of Tennessee,” pointing to her backing from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who has publicly called for abolishing ICE.
Behn refused to say where she stands, pivoting instead to her campaign script’s rhetoric about “lowering costs for working families.”
WATCH:
Long Odds in a Deep-Red District
Tennessee’s 7th District covers a broad stretch of central and western Tennessee.
It is reliably Republican territory.
President Donald Trump carried it by roughly 22 points in 2024, making Tuesday’s contest an uphill battle for Democrats.
Still, the district includes portions of Nashville, giving Behn a small base of liberal support.
Her challenge: convincing the rest of the district to overlook a track record of statements that paint police as villains and the region’s most prominent city as a place she “hates.”
Behn declined to directly address any of the comments during interviews last weekend as she attempts to defuse the issue before Election Day.
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