CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators held a town hall meeting in Clarksville on Wednesday, which included three Democratic candidates for Congress, District 7, sharing their ideas on how they can flip the seat in December.

There are 19 candidates in the race, four of them Democrats. Those attending were state Rep. Aftyn Behn, Darden Copeland and state Rep. Vincent Dixie. State Rep Bo Mitchell did not attend.

They are running to replace Rep. Mark Green, a Republican who has represented U.S. House District 7 since 2019, who resigned July 20 to go back into the private sector. The special primary election to replace him will be Oct. 7, with the general election Dec. 2.

Aftyn Behn: ‘This congressional race is one of urgency’

Behn was the first to speak and introduced herself as a social worker turned community organizer turned legislator, then explained why she joined the race.

“I’m tired of begging for crumbs from our state and federal government. I decided to jump in this race after a close friend of mine was denied a life-saving medication from TennCare and received a letter that their SSDI benefits were going to be cut. My constituents, my voters, my friends, my family – everybody is struggling right now to afford to live, and they don’t feel safe. So, for me, this congressional race is one of urgency, as well as taking advantage of a moment in time that we can draw national attention to Tennessee.”

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Darden Copeland: ‘I think I’m the Democrat that can win’

Copeland explained while he’s not an elected official, he still wants to represent the community of District 7. “I’ve never run for anything in my life,” Copeland said, “but I worked for Democrats getting into elected office from 1997 to around 2004.”

For the past 20 years, he’s worked for a public affairs firm based out of Nashville. “I built a business; my wife’s built a business … and we have a math problem in District 7: It’s 25% of Davidson County, that stretches up to Kentucky, all the way down to Alabama. Fourteen counties, or portions thereof, and I think I’m the Democrat that can win,” he said.

Rep. Vincent Dixie: ‘Now is the time for us to flip this seat’

After speaking throughout the night as part of the Caucus, Dixie spoke next on the opportunity to serve District 7 in Congress and said he joined the race because he was raised by a single mother.

“She never made over $28,000 a year. In today’s society, we can’t live like that, we would be on government assistance,” Dixie said. “Right now, the safety nets are not there for us: Medicare, Medicaid, they’re cutting Social Security – these are things some people depend on. I’m a product of a village, and that’s why I’m here.”

Dixie said that right now, it’s important to come together as a community to decide which candidate best represents District 7’s interests. “Now is the time for us to flip this seat,” he said. “It’s going to take all of us, but it can be done.”

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Who’s running for Congress, District 7

Here are the 19 candidates for Congress, District 7, as of Aug. 13, the day after the qualifying deadline. The state has not yet updated the list following the Aug. 15 withdrawal deadline.

Republicans:

  • Jody Barrett: Dickson small-business owner and state House member.
  • Gino Bulso: A Brentwood trial lawyer and state House member.
  • Stuart Cooper: Franklin, with Flagler Technologies.
  • Adolph Agbéko Dagan: Clarksville veteran, minister and small business owner.
  • Mason Foley: Franklin, former staff member for U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell. Now with Main Street Health.
  • Jason Knight: Montgomery County commissioner and former Clarksville City Council member, small-business owner and military veteran.
  • Joe Leurs: Retired from Marines and Metro Nashville Police Department.
  • Stewart Parks: Nashville real estate agent.
  • Lee Reeves: Franklin state House member.
  • Matt Van Epps: Nashville former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services, military veteran.
  • Tres Wittum: Former Tennessee Senate staff member.

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Democrats:

  • Aftyn Behn: Nashville social worker and state House member.
  • Darden Copeland: Nashville businessman.
  • Vincent Dixie: Nashville businessman and state House member.
  • Bo Mitchell: Bellevue state House member.

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Independent:

  • Teresa “Terri” Christi
  • Bobby Dodge: Franklin
  • Robert James Sutherby
  • Jon Thorp: Springfield military veteran.

U.S. House District 7 covers the western portion of Middle Tennessee, spanning from the Kentucky state line to the Alabama state line. It includes Montgomery County and portions of Nashville/Davidson County and Williamson County.

Early voting dates and registration deadlines

To vote in the Oct. 7 primary, voters must register by Sept. 8. Early voting will be Sept. 17-Oct. 2.

For the Dec. 2 general election, voters must register by Nov. 3. Early voting will be Nov. 12-26.

You can check your registration, update your information, or register to vote at GoVoteTN.gov or by using the free GoVoteTNApp.

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