A Democratic congressional candidate in Tennessee is facing massive criticism for prior comments she made about the city she wishes to represent. Aftyn Behn, who is running to represent Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, said “I hate this city,” referring to Nashville, on a 2020 podcast. “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,” Behn said. “I hate it,” she added. Listen to the audio below: Aftyn Behn– the Democrat nominee for the upcoming TN07 special election– says that she despises Nashville, the city that she's running to represent in Congress: “I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the… pic.twitter.com/L9lmo1YkkJ — Greg Price (@greg_price11) November 19, 2025 The resurfaced comment will likely have significant implications on the December 2nd special election to replace GOP Rep. Mark Green, who resigned earlier this year. Behn is running against Republican nominee Matt Van Epps. Early voters cast their ballots in the special election on Thursday. Fox News shared more: The district, which is located in central and western Tennessee and stretches from Kentucky to Alabama, is solidly red. President Donald Trump carried the district by 22 points in his 2024 White House victory. But the district includes parts of the Democratic stronghold of Nashville, Tennessee’s capital and its most populous city, and a major national center for the country music industry. The district encompasses parts of north and west Nashville, including the downtown area which has long been a very popular tourist destination. “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 Republican National Committee (RNC) argued in a social media post on Thursday. Fox News discussed her comments, noting how bizarre it is to “hate” the place you wish to represent in Washington D.C. Check it out: Aftyn Behn, the Democrat running in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District special election, has branded her own state as racist and declared that she hates everything about Nashville—including its country music, bachelorette parties, and pedal taverns. “I hate the city, I hate… pic.twitter.com/xknvdQUVlr — RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) November 20, 2025 FOX 17 noted: Timothy Ford is a Democrat and came to the polls for early voting. “Really surprised someone would even talk like that about Nashville,” he said. “I think she should apologize as many times as she can.” The podcast episode instantly changed his mind. “I want to go get my vote back and keep it,” said Ford. John Wiggins is also a Democrat. He had just finished casting his vote for Behn when FOX 17 News approached him. “I don’t think she’d have to apologize,” said Wiggins. “I think it was taken out of context.” He said the audio does not change his mind. “That shouldn’t matter,” said Wiggins. “I’m looking at the bigger issues.” Conservative political analyst Steve Gill predicts the clip will hurt Behn’s chances of winning.