Aftyn Behn, a Democrat running for Congress in Tennessee, was publicly confronted on MS NOW this week when anchors produced screenshots of since-deleted tweets from 2020 calling for the dissolution of the Metro Nashville Police Department and celebrating rhetoric that supports violence against police. The exchange revealed a candidate who tried to change the subject rather than defend her past hostility toward law enforcement, and it should alarm every voter who cares about public safety.
The tweets in question weren’t garden-variety criticisms — they urged defunding the police as a condition for reopening schools, cheered on unions demanding cuts to policing, and even included a line greeting “the 54% of Americans that believe burning down a police station is justified.” Those now-deleted posts paint a clear picture: this was not casual rhetoric but a pattern of embracing anti-police extremism during the civil unrest of 2020.
When pressed repeatedly by host Catherine Rampell to clarify whether she still stood by those comments, Behn repeatedly dodged the question, insisted she wouldn’t “engage in cable news talking points,” and claimed she didn’t remember the tweets while insisting she wanted to focus on her race. Voters deserve straight answers, not evasions, especially from someone asking for power to represent their safety and security.
This matters because Behn is running in a hotly contested race for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, and Republicans have rightly pointed out that her record is a stark contrast to the priorities of working Americans who want safe streets and accountable policing. Her opponent and conservative groups are already using this material to warn voters about what would happen if candidates who flirt with abolitionist rhetoric gain power.
This episode is emblematic of a larger problem: an increasingly influential wing of the Democratic movement that not only tolerates anti-law-enforcement sentiment but, in some cases, elevates it. Reporting has surfaced additional examples of Behn promoting narratives that police don’t protect communities and that the criminal justice system is irredeemably biased, a worldview that risks encouraging chaos rather than delivering solutions.
Hardworking Tennesseans should read this for what it is — a reveal of values that are out of step with the people they claim to serve. If you believe in backing the brave men and women who keep our neighborhoods safe and in common-sense law and order, now is the time to pay attention, make a plan, and vote. The special election is coming up, and turnout will decide whether Nashville sends a representative who respects the rule of law.
We cannot afford to elect candidates who equivocate when asked to condemn violence or who celebrate calls to dismantle the institutions that protect our families. Patriotism means defending our communities and supporting those who risk their lives to protect us; throw out the radicals and elect leaders who will restore safety, common sense, and respect for law and order.
