Even after AP News called the victory of Republican Matt Van Epps, the energy at Democratic congressional candidate Aftyn Behn’s Election Night Watch Party remained electric as Behn took the stage and rallied with fellow Tennessee Democrats.
On Dec. 2, Behn, a Democratic state representative and former community organizer and progressive activist, lost Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District by 9%. A slim margin of victory, considering President Donald Trump won the district by 22% in 2024, and Mark Green, the previous district representative, won by 21%.
The numbers reflect a “warning shot about the [Republican] party’s vulnerabilities,” per the New York Times.
Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District contains counties Benton, Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Decatur, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Perry, Robertson, Stewart, Wayne and Williamson. Most of these communities are rural, and more than half of the district’s votes are cast in Davidson, Montgomery or Williamson County.
The race drew national attention. President Trump endorsed Van Epps and called Behn a “left-wing lunatic,” as well as accused her of being a Marxist.
The election received press from all over the world. This attention placed political pressure not only on the South but on the whole country, casting a spotlight on issues and elections that affect the global perception of America.
Kelsey Haight, a Tennessee native currently living in New York City, said that the attention is what drew her back home to watch the election, and that the press is beneficial to Southern Democrats.
“I think even though she didn’t win, I think all the press we got and how close everything was, is kind of a win in a way,” Haight said. “The South is growing and changing every day and the people are finding more and more political alignments. That’s for the greater good.”
Republicans currently hold a slim House majority in Congress with 219 seats, and Van Epp’s narrow victory in Tennessee – a heavily Republican state – as well as other recent Democratic victories in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City, could foreshadow a shift in control of the House in 2026.
“The Republicans made these districts uncompetitive,” Behn said. “ They wanted us to back down, and we did not … We showed up.”
Behn is referring to the redrawing of Tennessee districts in 2022, when the GOP split Nashville into three Republican-leaning districts. A practice also known as Gerrymandering.
Despite not reaching the desired outcome, the close margin remains a victory for Tennessee Democrats, Behn said. Charlane Oliver, who represents Tennessee’s 19th district in the state’s General Assembly, thanked the crowd for their help in making Republicans “shake in their boots.”
Regardless of the results, Behn’s concession speech fired up the crowd as she defended the South even after the results announced her loss.
“We are tired of the people outside the state, telling us the South is backwards, and it’s hopeless and it’s destined to be ruled by the same powerful people again and again,” Behn said. “ The South is not silent, because the South has something to say.”
Leigh Rodriguez, a campaign volunteer, valued being part of Behn’s campaign and said that getting out and civically engaging is incredibly important and something that brought her closer to her daughters.
“I’m just proud to be a mother that’s showing my daughters that they can also make a difference,” Rodriguez said. “In elections, we don’t just have to sit back and allow others to make the decisions. We can be part of the process.”
Farrah Renfroe, MTSU student and president of the Tennessee College Democrats, is a long-term supporter of Behn’s campaign and wants to flip Tennessee.
“We need to flip this seat because, in Congress, we need more people, more Democrats, more progressive Democrats to fight for a more equitable future,” Renfroe said.
Behn held similar sentiments, and a main point in her speech was how Tennessee, and the South in general, has begun to speak up.
“Tennessee took its place on the national stage, and we sent a message loud and clear,” Behn said. “Don’t count out the South, because Tennessee has something to say.”
She also made it clear that her loss was just the beginning.
“We’re not done,” Behn said. “Not by a long shot.”
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