Matt Van Epps, the Republican nominee running for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, released a new ad on Wednesday highlighting his opponent, State Rep. Aftyn Behn’s (D-Nashville) record of attacking law enforcement officials.
Behn, who narrowly won the Democratic nomination in the race for the 7th District earlier this month, was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in a special election in 2023 and quickly aligned herself with the radical left-wing of her party on many issues, including immigration.
In May, Behn was accused of interfering with a joint operation between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) as she and a passenger followed law enforcement vehicles across Nashville and went as far as to pulling into a gas station as officers attempted to refuel, which prompted officers to initiate a traffic stop on the state representative’s vehicle.
Behn livestreamed the event on Instagram at the time, where she boasted about delaying the officers’ enforcement efforts with unserious and unprofessional language.
Van Epps’ ad, titled “Wins,” highlights Behn’s May livestream, with the narrator of the ad saying, “She thinks it’s a win to harass police…When she wins, we lose.”
In a statement released alongside his campaign’s new ad, Van Epps said that while Behn “focuses on riding around in a clown car fighting police,” he will be a congressman who “fights for Tennesseans by lowering the cost of living and keeping our families safe.”
“When an elected official openly celebrates bullying ICE agents and state troopers, it tells you exactly what their character is and where their priorities lie,” Van Epps added.
The voter registration deadline for the December 2 special general election for the 7th District is Monday, November 3. Early voting begins November 12.
Watch Van Epps’s new ad:
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Aftyn Behn” by Matt Van Epps.
