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Tennessee Special Election Result 2025 | Democrats Close to Flipping Deep‑Red District | US News | N18G
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2 days ago
Tennessee Special Election Result 2025 | Democrats Close to Flipping Deep‑Red District | US News | N18G
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00:00
This week, the center of the political world is a ruby-red congressional district in Tennessee,
00:04
the type of place where Democrats would ordinarily never have a chance.
00:08
But both President Trump and the GOP congressman who recently resigned
00:12
coasted to victory in Tennessee's 7th District,
00:15
which encompasses parts of Nashville and wide swaths of rural areas.
00:18
But suddenly, with less than 48 hours to go,
00:21
both parties have poured millions in the final stretch,
00:24
with Republicans scrambling to avert an electoral disaster.
00:28
Joining me now is the Democrat who hopes to flip this seat
00:31
and narrow the GOP's razor-thin House majority,
00:34
Tennessee State Representative Afton Bain.
00:36
Representative Bain, thank you so much for being with me this morning.
00:38
Really appreciate your time.
00:40
Thank you for having me.
00:42
Absolutely.
00:42
As you know, this is a district that is solidly red.
00:45
Both Trump and GOP congressman Mark Green won it by about 22 points.
00:50
But your record is pretty progressive.
00:51
So is that really in line with the more conservative voters in your district?
00:56
Well, the reason this race is competitive is because the Washington Republican agenda
01:02
of delivering an economy that works for everyone has not delivered.
01:07
And I think it's hilarious that Republicans and their billionaire friends
01:11
are trying to spend millions to save a seat that they should win without thinking.
01:15
But if we flip this seat, it will send a national message
01:18
that the Republican Party needs to get serious about lowering health care costs.
01:21
Before we dive into some of those aspects in your race,
01:24
I do want to get to your views on your party,
01:27
because there's been a debate since last year about the way forward
01:30
and the party and the like.
01:31
And voters still have a very low opinion of Democrats per many public polls.
01:36
Even one recent poll showed that just 29% of Americans
01:39
have a favorable view of Democrats.
01:41
So what about your view about your party and your party's leaders,
01:45
specifically about your party's leaders?
01:46
Do you have confidence in your party's leaders?
01:48
Well, I've, you know, I've been running this race as a Democrat
01:54
that cares about affordability, and I think that's what's going to win it for us.
01:58
I think that there is a new generation of leadership in the party,
02:01
and especially from the South, where, you know,
02:05
we want to see Democratic leaders that step up,
02:08
especially in moments like this that require a fearless, bold leadership.
02:14
And that's, you know, what I'm offering the district.
02:16
And I think it's resonating with voters.
02:18
If you had a chance to, would you vote for Hakeem Jeffries as speaker?
02:24
We represent very different districts,
02:26
and I've got 48 hours to flip a congressional district
02:30
and really send a message to Washington, like I said,
02:32
that they need to get serious about health care costs.
02:33
Honestly, I haven't thought about it.
02:35
But I want to say that I have been really grateful
02:37
as someone who has organized in the South her entire life.
02:41
I've been very grateful for the national support in this race.
02:45
Tennessee is often a state that is overlooked and disinvested in,
02:49
and to see national surrogates and national supporters
02:52
providing monetary support and jumping in,
02:56
it really means a lot to all of us.
02:57
We welcome it all.
02:58
Speaking of that, I mean, because we are seeing both sides
03:00
sending these big-name surrogates in these final hours before Tuesday.
03:04
And tomorrow, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
03:07
is holding a tele-rally for you.
03:10
Are you in line with her ideologically?
03:15
Like I said, I think that there is a strain of the Democratic Party
03:18
that cares about holding corporations accountable
03:21
and lowering costs for working families.
03:24
And my politics are, one, an alignment of that.
03:27
I've been, as a state legislator,
03:28
I've worked to eliminate Tennessee's regressive grocery tax.
03:32
As an organizer, I work to make health care more affordable
03:34
in the state of Tennessee.
03:35
And so I think those are the Democratic leaders and candidates
03:39
that I really resonate with
03:41
are those that are trying to lower costs for working families.
03:44
Yeah, because Trump has been calling you, quote,
03:46
the AOC of Tennessee.
03:48
So, I mean, aren't you just feeding into that narrative
03:50
by appearing with her?
03:54
Like I said, we're really grateful for the support
03:56
across the political spectrum.
03:58
And if you, and for your listeners,
04:01
the teletown hall also features former Vice President Al Gore,
04:05
who is a Tennessee legend.
04:07
So I look at it as iconic that you have, you know,
04:11
Democrats from all political stripes
04:13
joining in on this moment and saying, you know,
04:15
we are standing up to what is happening in Washington
04:17
and we want to be part of the solution
04:19
rather than the problem.
04:20
Yeah, because some of those you are campaigning with,
04:22
including AOC,
04:23
have called for ICE to be abolished.
04:26
You have sharply been,
04:27
been sharply critical of the ICE raids in Nashville,
04:30
but do you think that ICE should be abolished?
04:34
Like I said, I've got 48 hours
04:36
to flip this congressional district
04:38
and have been dogged about the message of affordability.
04:43
And that's not what I'm hearing in the district.
04:45
What I'm hearing is people,
04:47
especially rural voters,
04:47
are driving four hours to a hospital without care.
04:50
We've got veterans that are going without,
04:53
you know, care because the VA hasn't been fully funded.
04:57
And so these aren't the issues
04:58
that I'm hearing about in the district.
05:00
What I am hearing about is that grocery costs are high,
05:03
utility bills are high, rent is high,
05:05
and there's no kind of end in sight.
05:07
And so my message has been one to lower costs
05:10
and I think it's resonating across the district,
05:12
which is why this race is so close.
05:14
But you have been critical of the past on these ICE raids.
05:17
Do you think they should,
05:18
all these ICE raids in Nashville should stop?
05:23
I mean, it's been hard.
05:24
I am in my district.
05:26
I represent a Hispanic community
05:27
and I'm also a social worker.
05:30
And so prior to that ICE incident,
05:33
I was out knocking doors in my district,
05:35
talking to Hispanic constituents
05:37
who said that we are concerned
05:38
about the overreach of our federal government.
05:40
And so as a lawmaker,
05:42
I represent 60,000 voters.
05:43
As a congresswoman,
05:45
I'll represent 400,000, 700,000 voters.
05:47
And so I take into consideration the real issues
05:52
that these voters and my constituents are living with,
05:55
one of which is they don't want
05:57
their federal government overreaching
05:59
in their communities.
06:01
Some of your past tweets have gotten attention,
06:05
including in 2020,
06:07
when you posted then,
06:08
then deleted a post that said,
06:10
quote,
06:10
good morning especially to the 54% of Americans
06:13
that believe burning down a police station is justified.
06:15
Another, you appear supportive of a demand
06:19
to, quote,
06:19
defund the police.
06:21
Do you regret posting those comments?
06:25
Yeah, I said that during the George Floyd moment
06:28
when the entire country was demanding accountability
06:30
and safer policing.
06:32
And what I've always believed
06:32
is that communities need investment.
06:34
They need investment to be safe.
06:36
They need investment in mental health responders,
06:39
first responders and youth programs
06:40
to reduce that crime.
06:42
And, you know,
06:43
I was a private citizen back then
06:45
and now I'm a lawmaker.
06:46
Like I said,
06:46
I represent 60,000 voters
06:48
with diverse political opinions.
06:51
And what I hear from families
06:52
across the 7th District
06:53
is that they want safe neighborhoods
06:54
and they want to lower the cost of living.
06:56
And that's where my priorities are.
06:58
So do you,
06:59
so should you not have posted those?
07:03
Like I said,
07:03
I'm a lawmaker now.
07:05
And so I wouldn't post things like that now
07:07
and haven't
07:08
because I've definitely matured.
07:10
And I think that speaks
07:11
to the moment as well
07:13
that I've spent 10 years
07:14
organizing in the state
07:16
to ensure that communities
07:17
are able to access investment
07:19
for, you know,
07:21
community response and safety.
07:23
And I'll do the same
07:24
as the next congresswoman
07:25
for the 7th Congressional District.
07:26
I do want to ask you
07:27
about an attack line
07:28
from Republicans
07:29
because this has been,
07:29
this is a comment you made
07:30
in 2020 about Nashville.
07:32
It's gotten a lot of attention
07:33
in your race.
07:33
Let's listen to this.
07:35
I hate the city.
07:37
I hate the bachelorettes.
07:38
I hate the pedal taverns.
07:39
I hate country music.
07:40
I hate all of the things
07:42
that make Nashville,
07:43
apparently,
07:44
and its city
07:44
to the rest of the country.
07:45
But I hate it.
07:48
I know you said those comments
07:49
were taken out of context
07:50
and,
07:50
but I want you to,
07:52
I want to ask you about it
07:53
because I'm wondering,
07:53
do you think it was a mistake
07:54
to say that?
07:58
Once again,
07:58
I was a private citizen.
08:00
Nashville is my home.
08:01
Do I roll my eyes
08:02
at the bachelorette parties
08:03
and the pedal taverns
08:04
that are blocking
08:05
my access to my house?
08:07
Yeah,
08:07
every Nashvillian does,
08:08
but this race
08:09
has always been something,
08:11
it's about something bigger.
08:12
It's about families
08:13
across middle Tennessee
08:14
that are getting crushed
08:15
by rising prices
08:16
while Washington politicians
08:18
and billionaires argue
08:19
about this type of nonsense.
08:20
And so,
08:21
once again,
08:21
I've been steadfast
08:22
and dogged in my message
08:23
about addressing
08:24
the affordability crisis
08:25
in Tennessee.
08:26
And like I said,
08:27
the race is close
08:28
because that is what
08:28
I've been doing.
08:29
So,
08:29
this fall,
08:30
after 43 days,
08:31
the longest government shutdown
08:32
in American history,
08:33
just six Democrats
08:35
voted with Republicans
08:36
in the House
08:37
to reopen the government.
08:38
Virtually all Democrats,
08:39
including your party leaders,
08:40
voted no
08:41
because there was no new
08:42
health care policy
08:43
included in it.
08:44
So,
08:44
if you were in the House
08:45
at the time,
08:46
would you have voted
08:46
with your party leaders
08:47
to keep the government closed
08:49
or with Republicans
08:50
to open it?
08:51
I want to highlight
08:54
an anecdote
08:54
from the district
08:55
that I think encapsulates
08:56
how voters felt.
08:58
I was at a health care town hall
08:59
in Clarksville
09:00
and a black female veteran
09:01
who works at the
09:02
Social Security office
09:03
burst into tears.
09:05
This was during,
09:07
I think,
09:08
the government shutdown
09:09
had just ended perhaps.
09:10
And she,
09:12
in her tears said,
09:13
you know,
09:13
why do I have to trade
09:14
my pain for someone else's?
09:16
Alluding to the fact
09:16
that,
09:17
you know,
09:17
the Democrats
09:18
were holding out
09:20
to ensure the ACA subsidy.
09:22
So,
09:22
I want to flag that
09:23
I think there's a lot more
09:24
nuance in politics
09:25
that we're not giving credit for.
09:27
And I'm someone
09:28
who always listens
09:28
to my constituents.
09:30
And more importantly,
09:31
like a lot of,
09:31
most people don't want
09:32
to think about government.
09:33
And the fact that they've
09:34
had their government
09:34
front and center
09:35
for the past nine months
09:38
or 12 years
09:39
or 12 months
09:40
speaks to the fact
09:42
that they just want
09:43
a government
09:43
that works effectively
09:44
for the people
09:45
and to deliver
09:46
lowering costs for them.
09:48
And so,
09:48
I just,
09:49
you know,
09:49
there's a lot of nuance
09:50
and I'm someone
09:51
who always listens
09:52
to my constituents.
09:53
And I would have taken
09:54
that into consideration
09:55
in that vote.
09:56
So,
09:56
if you had,
09:57
it's a yes or no vote,
09:58
so how would you have voted?
10:01
At this point,
10:02
I'm not a congresswoman.
10:04
Like I said,
10:04
I would have wanted
10:05
to hold a bunch
10:06
of town halls
10:07
across the district
10:07
to see what folks thought
10:09
because I heard
10:10
from a lot of,
10:11
especially employees
10:13
that work in federal government
10:14
that they've gone
10:15
two and a half pay periods
10:16
without pay.
10:17
However,
10:18
I've heard from,
10:19
you know,
10:20
constituents who also
10:21
want to ensure
10:21
that the ACA subsidies remain.
10:23
So,
10:24
you know,
10:24
it was a tough decision
10:25
and I would have voted
10:26
with my district.
10:27
All right.
10:28
Tennessee State Representative
10:29
Afton Bain,
10:29
thank you so much
10:30
for joining me this morning.
10:31
Really appreciate your time.
10:33
Yeah,
10:33
thank you so much
10:34
for having me.
10:35
Absolutely.
10:50
All right.
10:51
You
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