Aftyn Alyssa Behn, born on November 24, 1989, in Knoxville, Tennessee, is an American politician. She graduated from the Webb School of Knoxville in 2008 and holds Liberal Arts Honors and Psychology Honors degrees from the University of Texas at Austin (class of 2012).
Behn’s advocacy career began early. She was an active Girl Scout until the age of 18 and represented her high school in the Knoxville Mayor’s Youth Council. Her commitment to defending democracy and fighting for our freedoms continued as she moved back to Tennessee in 2017.
In 2017, Behn started working as the healthcare community organizer for the Tennessee Justice Center. Currently, she serves as the Campaign Director for RuralOrganizing.org, overseeing the organization’s electoral strategy.
Her political activism includes leading the Enough is Enough TN campaign, advocating for the expulsion of State Representative David Byrd after sexual assault allegations. In 2019, she was removed from the Tennessee House of Representatives visitor’s gallery for protesting the speakership of Glen Casada.
In 2023, following the death of five-term State Representative Bill Beck, Behn campaigned in a special election for the Tennessee House of Representatives 51st district. She defeated former councilmember Anthony Davis in the primary and won the general election with 75.61% of the vote. Behn’s legislative proposal aims to repeal the Tennessee sales tax on groceries.
