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What Aftyn Behn’s Campaign Can Teach Democrats Nationwide

  • Writer: Katey Parham
    Katey Parham
  • 6 days ago
  • 2 min read

Aftyn Behn may be new to the national scene. However, she has been an active force in Tennessee politics for years. I had the privilege of meeting Aftyn while I was at Vanderbilt, and she has been someone that I have looked up to ever since.

In a place like Tennessee, there, normally, is not a lot of Democratic infrastructure. However, the young elected leaders have developed and created opportunities for future campaign staffers, candidates, and organizers. I truly would not be where I am today without the mentorship and leadership of State Reps. Justin Jones, Justin J. Pearson, and Aftyn Behn (and so many more!). They invested their time and energy into me and many of my peers. All of their work resulted in the outcome we saw yesterday. For a concrete example of this intentional infrastructure development, Aftyn created a paid summer program to train young organizers in Tennessee.

Clearly, that hard work is starting to pay off. In 2024, Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District went +22 for Republicans. Last night, Aftyn narrowed that margin to +9. That’s a 13-point swing in less than a year. AND every single county in the district moved left.

I am so glad the whole country has been introduced to Aftyn Behn because we can all learn from the successes of her campaign!


What Can Democrats Learn?

  1. Invest everywhere. This race was not only about running to win. It was about building infrastructure in a district that is often overlooked. Team Aftyn mobilized 2k volunteers, knocked 70k+ doors, and made 185k calls. This organizing matters. As we head into 2026, we need to invest in building up the volunteer base and laying the groundwork for future elections. The next Democrat to run, Aftyn or otherwise, has a better launching pad because of the work she put into the race this cycle.

  2. Find an Aftyn Behn. Aftyn was uniquely positioned to run for office in this district because she has been an active organizer in Tennessee for many years. It’s important that we find and invest in candidates that have deep ties to the community they are seeking to represent. (Bonus points if they are an organizer!)

  3. Have a strong ground game and digital presence. It takes both online and offline organizing to win in this new era of campaigning. From collaborating with local and national creators to boost name recognition and CTAs to door-knocking in your community, the modern campaign requires strong digital organizing and traditional organizing programs.


What does this mean for Republicans?


 
 
 

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