Candidate running to represent Nashville in Congress says she HATES Nashville

With a special election approaching in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, Democratic candidate Aftyn Behn is under fire after a recording surfaced of her expressing hostility toward Nashville, the city she currently represents in the state legislature and would represent as part of the district if elected to Congress.

The December 2 election was triggered by the July resignation of Republican Rep. Mark Green, who left Congress for a private sector position. Voters will choose between Matt Van Epps, the GOP nominee and a Tennessee National Guard veteran who previously served as commissioner of the Department of General Services, and Behn, a Democratic state representative and former community organizer.

The newly circulated video shows Behn 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 an 'it city' to the rest of the country. I hate it.”

It is not known when or where the remarks were recorded, and Behn’s campaign has not provided clarification. The comments, however, quickly drew criticism from local officials and residents, given that Nashville is a major population center within the district and one of the most influential cities in the state. An ad released earlier in November showed Behn speaking in front of a mechanical bull as a country tune played in the background.

Tourism, including the same pedal taverns and bachelorette party traffic Behn mentioned, accounts for billions of dollars in annual economic activity for the region.
 

Behn came under fire earlier in 2024 after she posted a video to social media in which she said she had been "bullying" ICE agents and Tennessee Highway Patrol officers in an effort to thwart a May 9 immigration enforcement operation in Madison, Tennessee. "This is great! We got our girl squad, and we're bullying the ICE vehicles and state troopers," Behn said.