Embattled Democrat Candidate Said Prayer Makes Her ‘Deeply Uncomfortable’ In Resurfaced Audio

Democratic Tennessee congressional candidate Aftyn Behn said in resurfaced audio that lawmakers openly praying during legislative sessions make her “uncomfortable.”

While appearing on the “Red State Blue Moon” podcast in June 2024, Behn complained that the Tennessee state Legislature opens up with prayer at the beginning of each legislative session. She further complained that Christian pastors and prayer groups have “proximity to power” in the Legislature and that religion is often at the center of the state’s politics.

“And I think, especially as someone who is more secular, I have a hard time when religion is at the core of everything we do in the Legislature. For example, on the House floor, we say a prayer at the beginning of each session,” Behn said. “Some committees open up with prayer, we also stand for the Pledge. And there are also prayer groups in the legislature who meet routinely. There are Christian pastors that have a lot of say and proximity to power in the Legislature and dictate a lot of what the power players do. And it is uncomfortable and I think it makes a lot of my constituents who represent a diversity of religion deeply uncomfortable.”

Behn has entered the spotlight over her far-left positions and actions during her activism and time in the state Legislature. She is running to fill the vacant seat in Tennessee’s 7th district in the state’s special election on Dec. 2.

In 2022, Behn advocated for teaching women how to perform abortions at home to avoid state-wide bans and provide abortion pills during an interview with The Tennessee Holler.

The Tennessee Democrat more recently promised to carry a “trans bill of rights” at every legislative session if she is elected to the U.S. Congress. She has also expressed support for sex changes and hormone procedures for trans-identifying minors and condemned the U.S. Supreme Court for upholding Tennessee’s ban on these treatments.