AWFL, according to Urban Dictionary, is an acronym for “affluent white liberal female.” Aftyn Behn, who last night lost the special election in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, should probably have her picture published next to the term.

For those of you who don’t live in Tennessee and aren’t political junkies, there was a special election last night to replace Representative Mark Green (a Republican), who resigned from his House seat this last July. The Congressional district was won by President Trump by over 20 points in 2024, so the race should have been a cakewalk for Republican candidate Matt Van Epps, who had Trump’s endorsement.

But not so fast. Enter Aftyn Behn, Democrat, Tennessee state legislator, and the textbook definition of an AWFL. Dubbed the “AOC of Tennessee,” Behn’s past work history lists her as a social worker and “community organizer,” and she has a long history of activism and progressive luxury beliefs. In 2019, before she was elected to office, she tried a “sit in” at the governor’s office – which resulted in her throwing a tantrum and sobbing as she was hauled out. Aftyn Behn was a proponent of “defunding the police,” but once she was running for Congress and being asked about it, she first dodged….

Democrat Aftyn Behn refuses THREE TIMES to walk back her previous calls to defund the police:

MSNBC: "Do you still stand by those comments?"

BEHN: "I'm not going to give cable news talking points….

MSNBC: "What is your position today?"

BEHN: "I'm gonna talk about my race." pic.twitter.com/92YRm2KMOk

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 24, 2025

… and then she claimed she was a “private citizen” when she said that. Because no candidate should ever be held responsible for comments they made as “private citizens,” apparently.

NEW: CNN's Kasie Hunt gives up and moves on after far-left congressional candidate Aftyn Behn of Tennessee refused to admit that funding the police is a good thing.

Hunt: Would you like more money for more cops on the streets in your district?

Behn: So those um, past comments… pic.twitter.com/DScvVKZQYt

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 2, 2025

Translation: “I wasn’t running for office when I said that, so I totally didn’t mean it. Vote for me!”

But Aftyn the AWFL had left a lot of mouthy comments and videos around, including one about how she hated Nashville (which she was now running to represent). When that one went viral, she complained that it was a “GOP attack” – except, you know, it was her saying it and being recorded saying it. But the bigger problem with Aftyn Behn is that she is a radical progressive Democrat supported by other radical progressive Democrats and Democrat Socialists, noted as a fellow traveler with one Zohran Mamdani (without the oily smirk), who is a rabid abortion supporter and claimed she didn’t want children, she wanted power.

Oh, and prayer makes her “uncomfortable.”
https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1993668269803499548
And yet, Behn was elected – in yet another “special election” – in 2023 when the previous incumbent died. Her state district covers a large chunk of Nashville and surrounding communities to the east. Which likely explains the election map of last night, where she ONLY won the Nashville area.

Dem candidate: I hate Nashville!

Nashville: pic.twitter.com/i0kTbRF5ha

— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) December 3, 2025

Aftyn the AWFL’s snotty attitude, condescending bitchiness, and leftist beliefs are apparently acceptable to Nashville. Well, they are welcome to her, but the rest of the 7th Congressional District thankfully said no.

Here’s the problem. Matt Van Epps did win – but that margin of victory is nowhere near what Donald Trump got just thirteen months ago.

Not as catastrophic for Republicans in TN-07 as a lot of people had feared, but obviously not something that points to continued GOP control of the House, mid-decade redistricting or no.

— Sean T at RCP (@SeanTrende) December 3, 2025

All the “red alert” bells and whistles should be going off at RNC Headquarters RIGHT NOW. And if they aren’t, then someone is asleep at the wheel.

With some votes still being counted, Van Epps was headed towards a nine-point victory.

Asked by Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning if he needed to win the election by a certain margin, Van Epps said, “a win is a win.”

But the military combat veteran and former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services added that “we’re going to press as hard as we can to win by the biggest margin we can, and then we’re going to hold the majority in ’26.”

Behn, a state representative and former healthcare community organizer, who’s been dubbed the “AOC of Tennessee” in a comparison to progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, said in her concession speech, “Although tonight is not the final result of what we wanted…it is the beginning of something so powerful in Tennessee and across the South.”

She delivered a similar message to supporters at a local Democratic Party office in Nashville on Tuesday morning.

“Whatever happens, win or lose, you’ve inspired a country. You’ve shown people the South has something to say,” Behn said.

“For me, we’ve already won over the hearts and minds of so many Tennesseans and across the country,” Behn told Fox News Digital minutes later when asked if she’s a winner even without an election victory. “What starts here changes this country.”

And she added, “I think the electorate is shifting to accept a candidate like me that has a progressive track record.”

Aftyn Behn is probably correct that the electorate is shifting (at least in blue areas choosing Democrat candidates) to vote for progressive radicals who are appealing to the hard left fringes (because they show up to vote). We’ve already seen that happen in New York City with the election of Mamdani. Aftyn Behn just failed to ride those coattails herself, despite a load of Democrat money and support. But on the flip side, she made the Republicans spend a ton of money to keep a seat in a district that Trump won walking away. Tennessee is still red, but these are NOT great numbers.

With 95 percent of the vote in, Behn was behind Republican Matt Van Epps 54 percent to 45 percent in the closely watched special election Tuesday.

The narrow margin gave Democrats cause to celebrate as they fight to retake the House next year. And it spelled trouble for Speaker Mike Johnson’s efforts to retain his slim majority: Even though Van Epps won, the Republican significantly underperformed Trump’s 22-point rout in the district last year as Behn lured voters with a well-funded campaign focused singularly on affordability.

Democrats, projecting confidence after their Election Day overperformance last month throughout the country, quickly highlighted the thinner-than-usual margin as a sign of their strength heading into next year’s midterms, when they must net three seats to seize control over the House.

“This was a district that Trump won handedly (sic), and he and his billionaire friends had to spend millions of dollars to bolster their candidate of choice,” Behn said during an interview on CNN shortly before the network called the race.

The GOP needs to come to grips with what just happened. Yes, Van Epps won, and a win is a win. However, the majority in the House is razor thin, and it would not take much for the Democrats to win in 2026 and make Hakeem Jeffries the Speaker. And if that happens, it’s a near guarantee that the House Democrats will impeach President Trump just because they can. Republicans need to take a page from the 1990’s and remember “it’s the economy, stupid.” Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sunk in 2024 thanks to a combination of their radicalism (mostly on the border and immigration, and transgender issues) and the record-setting inflation. If the Republicans are not actively seen to be making the economy better, then they will be equally sunk. Voters care about two things first and foremost: their safety (and the safety of their children), and their wallets. President Trump has worked on the first part during these last several months. But if the focus does not shift to the economy, and voters don’t start feeling good about the economy (instead of being told that they SHOULD feel good about the economy), then the midterms will be a slaughterhouse.

One special election in a red state is not necessarily the harbinger of things to come, but it should be a solid slap across the face for the GOP. More candidates like Aftyn Behn are coming, and they CAN get elected. If Republicans are forced into pyrrhic victories to simply hold onto the solid R seats in the 2026 midterms, we are going to be in deep trouble, and President Trump will instantly become a lame duck with two years in his term to go. Aftyn the AWFL had a lot of viral baggage following her around. Not all the Democrat radicals are going to have literal Nazi tattoos to identify them as nutcases. Republicans won’t get so lucky next time – and they need to have a plan for 2026.

Featured image: original Victory Girls art by Darleen Click