U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) data shows State Representative Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) ended her special election campaign, which saw her lose by 9 percent to U.S. Representative Matt Van Epps (R-TN-07), with more than $465,000 remaining in her accounts.
FEC data for Behn’s congressional campaign shows she raised just over $3.3 million but spent only $2.8 million, and the final filing her campaign submitted to the FEC on January 1 confirmed she still has $465,061.55 in the campaign coffers.
The sum suggests the former Democratic congressional candidate did not spend 15 percent of the total raised throughout the campaign, even as Election Day drew near, and pollsters inaccurately predicted it was a two-point race.
FEC rules limit Behn’s ability to spend the money outside of costs related to winding down her campaign, but do allow her to donate the funds to charitable organizations, transfer them to other political committees, donate to state or local candidates, or use them for a forthcoming campaign.
While Behn has not officially stated whether she plans to launch another run for Congress, she told CNN after losing the election that she looked forward “to maybe competing with [Van Epps] next year.”
Behn could also use the funding for a U.S. Senate campaign, seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) this year.
Throughout the 2025 campaign, Behn was dogged by remarks from earlier years, including a 2020 podcast appearance in which she claimed to “hate” Nashville.
“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 an ‘it city’ to the rest of the country,” said Behn.
Other moments that surfaced to haunt Behn’s campaign included the Democrat describing Tennessee as “racist” and “godforsaken,” stating her desire to defund the police, and her video where she claimed to be “bullying ICE agents.”
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Afytn Behn” by Aftyn Behn.
Grifter level = expert
now she can afford to relocate to some blue state, win elections there .. bye
Not bad for a proven loser.
Sounds like another money laundering scheme.