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“I do not hate the city I represent”: Aftyn Behn speaks out after Tennessee Democratic candidate’s “I hate” Nashville video goes viral

Aftyn Behn responds to a resurfaced 2020 podcast clip criticizing Nashville, clarifying her comments as frustration with tourism culture rather than the city itself, as the Tennessee 7th District special election intensifies.
posted by Ashray BS
Friday 11/21/2025 at 11:22AM EST
  • Aftyn Behn posing for a picture (Image via Instagram/@aftynbehn4tn)
    Aftyn Behn posing for a picture (Image via Instagram/@aftynbehn4tn)

    Tennessee Democratic congressional candidate Aftyn Behn has been swept into the whirl of a political firestorm less than two weeks before the special election in which she is running for state's 7th District after someone resurfaced a 2020 podcast clip.

    In the four-year-old audio, Behn vents much of the frustrations she still harbors toward Nashville, the city she now serves in the state legislature, complaining that she “hates” bachelorette parties, pedal taverns and a country music driven tourism culture that has come to dominate the city’s image.

    The remarks, from an appearance on the GRITS podcast, quickly went viral after they were pushed out by Republican groups online. 

    "I've been heavily involved with the Nashville mayoral race because I hate the city. I hate the bachelorettes. I hate the pedal taverns. I hate country music. I hate all of the things that make Nashville apparently," Aftyn Behn quipped.

    Critics pounced on the comments, saying they betrayed a lack of respect for the very people she hopes to serve in Congress.

    Republicans pounced quickly, casting the remarks as disqualifying. The Republican National Committee asked why anyone who “hates Tennessee that much” would want to represent it in Washington. GOP nominee Matt Van Epps and a handful of Republican aligned groups pumped the clip on different social media platforms.

    Aftyn Behn's response to the backlash

    Reporting from her Jeep in a series of talks she calls “Wrangling Time,” the state representative shrugged off the attacks as political games and suggested that the clip was being misunderstood. She stated that her complaint was not with the city, but rather at Nashville’s tourist-heavy image.

    “I obviously always want Nashville to be better,” she said, adding that her critiques were based on concerns about affordability, congestion and how rapid development has made it challenging for people to live.

    "Today the Republicans decided that they're going to start this narrative... I want Nashville to be a place where working people can thrive," she added.

    She stressed her history with the city of Nashville, citing an emotional connection to landmarks like the Country Music Hall of Fame and her allegiance to people who live downtown. According to Behn, republicans are attacking her so aggressively because she can win the upcoming election.

    "Right but sure. I get mad at the Bachelorette. Sometimes I get mad at the pedal taverns right, and you're talking to someone who has cried no less than ten times in the Country Music Hall of Fame... We are so close to winning this race, which is why these rumors are getting more wild," Aftyn Behn remarked.

    Aftyn Behn’s past work as a social worker and organizer is key to her campaign. Before entering the legislature, she was in public policy at the University of Texas at Austin and organized with the Tennessee Justice Center during federal healthcare battles as well as served on refugee protection projects with the UNHCR.

    Supporters portray her as an up and coming progressive voice in the health care affordability, workers’ rights, and rural organizing spaces.

    TOPICS: Aftyn Behn, The Republican National Committee, GRITS podcast, Human Interest, Nashville, Tennessee