Aftyn Behn

Aftyn Alyssa Behn (born November 24, 1989) is an American politician and a Democratic representative for District 51 in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Education and early career

Behn was born on November 24, 1989, in Knoxville, Tennessee. She graduated from the Webb School of Knoxville in 2008. Behn earned liberal arts and psychology degrees from University of Texas at Austin graduating in 2012. She attended University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work graduating in 2016 with a MSW degree in Administration and Policy Practice and a Portfolio Certificate from the Texas Center for Disability Studies.

In 2017, Behn was the healthcare community organizer for the Tennessee Justice Center.

In 2018, Behn was the lead organizer for Enough is Enough TN, a campaign advocating for the expulsion of State Representative David Byrd after he was accused of sexually assaulting underage women. She was removed from the Tennessee House of Representatives visitor's gallery in 2019 after interrupting a legislative session to protest the speakership of Glen Casada. Behn opposed the 2023 Tennessee House of Representatives expulsions and organized protests outside the State Capitol.

Tennessee House of Representatives

In 2023, after the death of five-term State Representative Bill Beck, Behn campaigned in a special election for the Tennessee House of Representatives 51st district. She was endorsed by Representative Gloria Johnson, Tennessee College Democrats, and Tennessee AFL-CIO. The Nashville Metro Council appointed former councilmember Anthony Davis to serve as interim representative until the special election in September. Behn defeated Davis in the August 3rd primary with 53.46% of the vote. She won the general election with 75.61% of the vote.

On November 20, 2023, Behn announced her legislative proposal to repeal the Tennessee sales tax on groceries. On June 24, 2024, Behn and Nashville Attorney Rachel Welty filed a lawsuit against the state of Tennessee challenging a law passed during the 2025 legislation that they believe criminalizes certain speech in violation of the First Amendment. A federal judge temporarily blocked the law in September 2024. On December 2, 2024, Behn announced legislation to codify the Equal Rights Amendment in the Tennessee constitution.

Bipartisan efforts

In 2024, Rep. Aftyn Behn partnered with Republican Rep. Todd Warner to sponsor bipartisan legislation aimed at reforming how the Tennessee General Assembly handles workplace harassment and discrimination complaints. Their bill, House Bill 2533, proposed shifting the investigation process from internal legislative oversight to an independent liaison working with the state Attorney General's Office. This move was intended to increase transparency and reduce political interference in handling sensitive allegations.

U.S. House campaign

On July 9, 2025, Behn announced she would run in the upcoming special election for Tennessee's 7th congressional district. The election was triggered by the resignation of Republican incumbent Mark Green following his yes vote on the final One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Behn is currently running against fellow state representatives Vincent Dixie and Bo Mitchell for the Democratic nomination.

References

1989 births
21st-century American women politicians
21st-century members of the Tennessee General Assembly
Living people
Democratic Party members of the Tennessee House of Representatives
Members of the Democratic Socialists of America from Tennessee
Politicians from Nashville, Tennessee
University of Texas at Austin alumni
Women state legislators in Tennessee

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