During an appearance on MS NOW, Democratic candidate for Congress from Tennessee, Aftin Behn, was questioned about his previous social media comments that advocated for defunding the police. However, he did not clarify his stance on the issue.
The host, Katherine Rampel, brought up Behn’s deleted tweets from 2020, in which he criticized police. She noted one tweet specifically calling for the disbandment of the Nashville Police Department, as well as another tweet that supported the idea of defunding police in connection with school reopenings. Behn was then asked if he still stood by those comments, to which he responded rather vaguely.
Behn, who has served as a state representative and a medical community organizer, is running against Republican candidate Matt Van Epps for the 7th Congressional District seat, a position that became available after former Representative Mark Green resigned.
Rampel pressed Behn for a clearer statement on police funding. Behn responded by saying he didn’t want to engage in “cable news talking points,” emphasizing that solutions should come from the community rather than the federal government. Yet, when further pressed on his views today, he seemed to deflect again, admitting he didn’t remember the previous tweets.
As the special election approaches, Behn is focusing on more pressing district issues, such as the rising cost of living. He expressed that constituents are concerned about the affordability of groceries and the lack of renewed subsidies for healthcare. He described these as the main topics of discussion among voters.
The 7th Congressional District, located in west-central Tennessee, is predominantly Republican, having supported President Trump by a large margin in the 2024 election. Nonetheless, parts of the district include Democratic-leaning areas like Nashville, which is a significant urban center and a tourist hotspot for country music.
Behn’s candidacy has drawn attention, especially since past comments he made in 2020 resurfaced, where he expressed strong disdain for Nashville and its culture. In a podcast, he had said he found numerous elements of the city unappealing, although later comments suggested he may love the city despite some frustrations with its tourist influx.
