Resurfaced Footage Reveals Dem Congressional Candidate Sobbing Uncontrollably After Storming Governor’s Workplace
Wild resurfaced footage shows Tennessee State Rep. Aftyn Behn, who is currently running as the Democratic Party nominee in the special election for the Volunteer State’s Seventh U.S. Congressional District, sobbing uncontrollably after she attempted to storm Republican Governor Bill Lee’s office.
The video, which was shared by Daily Caller reporter Nicole Silverio, shows Behn storming the governor’s office not long after he took office on April 17, 2019.
Behn, then a 29-year-old activist, and co-founder of the progressive group Enough is Enough Tennessee, was among a small group of protesters who staged a sit-in at the governor’s office in the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville. The activists demanded that Lee refuse to seat then-State Rep. David Byrd over sexual misconduct allegations.
The protesters, including Behn, had been camping outside Lee’s office for days, urging him to intervene by withholding Byrd’s certification or calling for his resignation. On April 17, state troopers moved to clear the group, physically removing Behn last.
As she was dragged out, she collapsed in tears, screaming phrases like, “Don’t touch me!” while bursting into tears. The congressional hopeful, now kneeling on the floor, continued to sob uncontrollably as a colleague attempted to console her.
The group was cited for criminal trespassing but released later that evening.
🚨MORE INSANTIY🚨 Resurfaced video from 2019 shows Democrat Tennessee candidate Aftyn Behn SCREAMING and SOBBING as officers had to forcibly drag her out of Gov. Lee’s office. @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/rcUnwQeXlN
— Nicole Silverio (@NicoleMSilverio) November 24, 2025
Behn, now 36, is running to replace former U.S. Rep. Mark Green, who retired to take a job in the private sector after the passage of the Trump-backed Big Beautiful Bill this past summer.
While President Trump carried the district by 22 points last November, its boundaries do include parts of the Democratic Party stronghold of Nashville, Tennessee’s capital and the state’s most populous city. Both major parties and related political action committees have poured millions of dollars into the December 2 race, as Democrats seek to seize on momentum gained in this month’s elections in New Jersey and Virginia, while Republicans attempt to defend their slim House majority.
Behn has been under fire in recent weeks due to a resurfaced podcast appearance in which she claims she “hates” Nashville and its reputation for tourism. “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. But I hate it,” she said back in 2020.
Republican candidate Matt Van Epps and the national party apparatus have seized on Behn’s comments as Election Day approaches. “The Democrat running in a special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, Aftyn Behn, is running on the message: ‘I hate this place, elect me!’ Tennessee deserves better,” the RNC wrote in a social media post last week.
Behn is running to replace retired U.S. Rep. Mark Green
The congressional hopeful is largely aligned with the Democratic Party’s progressive faction. This has led to criticism over a number of past stances, including “defund the police” endorsements she has largely attempted to ignore.
Republicans have poured significant resources into the race despite its favorable partisan lean. Notable expenditures include over $1.3 million from billionaire Jeff Yass, more than $600,000 from the Ken Griffin-backed Conservatives for American Excellence, $453,000 from the School Freedom Fund, seven figures from Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC.
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