Democrat Aftyn Behn will enter the Tennessee State Capitol next session as an elected representative, succeeding Democrat Bill Beck in state House District 51.
Behn defeated Republican David Hooven on Thursday in the special-called election following Beck’s death in June. She defeated former Metro Councilmember Anthony Davis by fewer than 700 votes in the Democratic primary on Aug. 3. After Beck’s death, Davis was appointed as District 51’s interim legislator and represented the district through August’s special legislative session.
For several years, Behn has been in and out of the Capitol as an organizer and activist for various progressive campaigns. She was expelled from the House chamber in 2019 for protesting the body’s apathy toward elected officials accused of sexual assault, specifically David Byrd — a Wayne County Republican who faced numerous allegations from former high school students from his time as a basketball coach in Waynesboro. The same session, Behn faced charges stemming from her participation in a sit-in at Gov. Bill Lee’s office. She has since worked for Indivisible, a national network founded to advance progressive politics in the Trump era, and Rural Organizing, a distributed political team focused on rural progressive politics, where Behn is listed as a campaign director.
In her victory speech after winning the August primary, Behn attributed her campaign’s success to a tight-knit team and underdog mentality. Behn’s identity as a campaigner and activist will align her with Democrats like Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, who spearheaded confrontational opposition to the House’s Republican supermajority in the spring.
After a long mayoral race and a six-week runoff, progressive O'Connell beat conservative Rolli by roughly 29 points
