Four Rivers Indivisible, a progressive grassroots volunteer group in far western Kentucky, is going “All In for Aftyn” in the U.S. House TN07 special election.  That’s because Four Rivers Indivisible (FRI) knows her from her days as statewide Indivisible coordinator for Kentucky and Tennessee in 2019-2020.  She visited Paducah several times and helped expand FRI's activities such as facilitating putting up billboards. Later, she came with “Cardboard Mitch”, Indivisible t-shirts, and took pictures and shot some video of FRI members on Lone Oak Road:

Aftyn spoke often of her passion for Medicaid, and shared stories about the healthcare fight in 2017 when the Republicans tried the first time to gut Medicaid and failed by the one vote of Sen. John McCain in the Senate.

Aftyn went on to positions in rural organizing and eventually was elected to the TN State House in 2022 and now has a shot at the TN 07 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.  The seat, which is heavily gerrymandered to favor Republicans, includes part of Nashville, Franklin, Clarksville, and rural areas near to where some FRI members live in Hopkinsville and Cadiz, KY. 

Aftyn promises to be a new breed of candidate. Young, passionate, authentic, and committed to changing the way business is done, she has refused corporate PAC donations to her campaign (News Channel5 Nashville).  She is for “Homes not Hedge funds,” repealing the grocery tax, and was once arrested in the gallery at the TN capitol for protesting the handling of a sexual abuse accusation against a lawmaker.  Woman removed from TN House Chamber. The incident occurred while Behn was an activist protesting the conduct of the then-Speaker of the House, Glen Casada, and demanding the ouster of former representative David Byrd over sexual assault allegations. A video from her activist group showed her being forcibly removed from the House chambers by state troopers after an outburst at Speaker Casada.  After being elected she introduced legislation to address how the legislature handles sexual misconduct allegations. A Lifelong Girl Scout: Who is Aftyn Behn.  Aftyn pledges to fight against corruption and for transparency and accountability.  

Aftyn has a chance to pull off an upset here.  For one thing, she needs a 22 point swing from what was clearly a bad year for Democrats in 2024.  While that is a lot, people need to remember the 33 point swing in Alabama by Democrat Marilyn Lands, for a state house seat in March 2024 (Stunning Swing in AL).  Special elections like this can produce atypical results, particularly when you have a motivated base on one side, which is true right now.  Aftyn has the background of a grassroots political organizer to help drive the kind of turnout she needs--in 2024 she had the highest total voter turnout of any Democratic State Representative and she narrowly won her primary this year using a voter turnout strategy (Tennessee Lookout). 

And—the Cook Political Report recently upgraded this race from solid R to likely R, meaning the momentum is on her side and that it is a more likely possibility.  Nov 13: TN-07 moves from Solid Republican to Likely Republican

Check out this Instagram reel featuring a NewsChannel5 interview with Aftyn: .NewsChannel5reel

One commenter mentioned how she did a double kung-fu flip into a tree to rescue his dog!  And we all know how passionate the dog-lover voter contingent can be. 

And if that’s not enough to convince you she is the real deal, and a fighter like we need to help transform the Democratic party, check out this interview: Jess Craven: You Have to Watch This Aftyn Behn Interview!   (Chop Wood, Carry Water substack).  She is also being featured in such prominent independent forums as former WaPo columnist Jennifer Rubin's The Contrarian: A Spot of Blue in Tennessee

A win here would not just send a message to MAGA and Republicans, but would send a message to feckless Democrats who still don’t get it (primarily in the Senate) that this is no longer business as usual and that the people want to see fighters elected to Congress—not same ‘ol, same ‘ol “centrists” in tough places like this district.  We are no longer on a  left-right axis, we are on a fascism-anti-fascism axis as new coalitions are forming in response to MAGA extremism. In her campaign launch video message (Campaign Launch Video--Aftyn Behn), she states "“This’ll be the first federal special election called since the bill passed. Let’s show the country that even in deep-red Tennessee, we won’t stand for a system that leaves us
behind.”

More information about Aftyn's background and track record can be found on her campaign website https://www.aftynforcongress.com/ :

"In partnership with stakeholders and grassroots movements, she helped pass the federal RECOMPETE Act to rebuild small-town economies, forced the retirement of two Senators and four members of Congress while at Indivisible, and played a key role in the resignation of disgraced Speaker Glen Casada. In 2024, along with Senator Charlane Oliver, she made Tennessee’s grocery tax a top campaign issue, bringing long-overdue scrutiny to a regressive policy hurting working families. Her influence extends beyond state lines—Aftyn supported the successful ballot referendums in Ohio and Montana, helping to protect reproductive freedom where it was under attack. Her success lies in her ability to unite unlikely allies, build durable infrastructure, and never back down from a fight.

Aftyn currently serves on the steering committee for Healthy and Free TN, a statewide coalition working to decriminalize pregnancy and address the black maternal mortality crisis in Tennessee. She also serves on the steering committee for the Southern Connected Communities project, a grassroots group dedicated to identifying solutions for internet connectivity in underserved or unserved areas, with an emphasis on community input and ownership.

Aftyn served as the Campaign Director for RuralOrganizing, where she oversaw the organization's electoral strategy and execution, and shaped the political and policy landscape impacting small towns and rural communities. She worked for National Indivisible, helping to build national programs, including one of the country’s largest rural organizing programs, and supported grassroots organizing efforts in Kentucky and Tennessee. She first cut her teeth fighting for healthcare access at the Tennessee Justice Center during the national Medicaid and Affordable Care Act battles, when she organized across the 7th congressional district, raising awareness about rural hospital closures. Before that gig, she was a consultant for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland, developing community-based protection policies for refugees and displaced persons. 

Aftyn is from East Tennessee and holds a Master of Social Work with a policy specialization from the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. In Congress, she’s carrying that same grit and guts — to fix what’s broken, stand up to corporate greed, and deliver fearless leadership that puts people first."

Early voting started November 12th and goes through Nov. 26th, and the election is December 2nd.  Now is the time for phone banking and if you live near the district, go knock some doors! 

To get involved, check out these links: 

Aftyn for Congress  (donate, volunteer—phone banking, canvassing etc)

Indivisible: Special Election Phonebank (phonebank)

And remember that every small donor dollar she gets helps her spend less time on the phone fundraising and more time out doing what she does best—engaging directly with the people!

And don’t forget to be “All in for Aftyn!”