Tennessee State Representative Aftyn Behn is the Democratic nominee in the December 2025 special election to fill Tennessee’s 7th congressional district seat, left vacant since July when Republican Rep. Mark Green resigned.
Behn is running against the Republican nominee, Matt Van Epps, the former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services, who is endorsed by Green and by President Donald Trump.
On Monday, Behn linked Tennessee’s special election to the ongoing conflict in the House of Representatives where House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has said he will not swear-in newly elected Democratic Arizona Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva during the federal government shutdown — even though Johnson previously made “unique exceptions” for two Republicans, swearing them in during pro forma sessions in April.
A VOTE FOR ME IS A VOTE TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES
Tennessee just moved to certify our Dec. 2 election 3 days after polls close — an unprecedented rush that could decide whether the Epstein files are released. I’ll vote to release them… my opponent will not. pic.twitter.com/A1caCN1P46
— Aftyn Behn for Congress (@aftynfortn) October 13, 2025
Grijalva claims Johnson is delaying swearing her in because she has vowed to be the mission-critical 218th signature on Rep. Thomas Massie‘s (R-KY) discharge petition to release the Epstein files.
Behn, who has also vowed to vote for the release of the Epstein files, wrote on social media: “Tennessee just moved to certify our Dec. 2 election 3 days after polls close — an unprecedented rush that could decide whether the Epstein files are released. I’ll vote to release them… my opponent will not.”
Note: GOP Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett (who did not sign Massie’s petition) is warning Republicans to “wake up” after Behn (“the AOC of Tennessee”) won the primary election last week and noted that the total number of votes by Democrats was comparable to the vote total for Republicans. Last year, Rep. Green won in a landside, 22-point victory over his Democratic opponent.