The following is my letter, sent earlier today, to TN State Rep Aftyn Behn via her official substack:
=============
Dear Rep Aftyn Behn,
Firstly, (all the way from Seattle) my wife and I are grateful for your exceptional dedication to your constituents in TN and EVERY AMERICAN struggling to build an ever more inclusive, equitable Democracy.
Secondly, I've sent the following note to several folk including US Reps Jeffries & Crockett, to the Meiselas Brothers, to David Pakman, to Scott Dworkin, to Ron Filipkowski, to Brian Tyler Cohen, to Aaron Parnas & to Senator Sanders. I hope you are already planning to do what I encouraged each of them to support:
============
Dear,
Please encourage State Rep Aftyn Behn to BE the TN CD7 “Shadow Rep” while campaigning against Trumpian boot licker Epps from now until the Nov 2026 Mid-Terms.
Every vote he takes, every vote he avoids, all the promises he made that he certainly won’t be able to keep.
Hold the dude accountable everyday.
She could post a “What’s Epps Done Today For You?” on the front page of her website and score it “Nothing,” “Worse than Nothing,” etc.
She is an outstanding young leader and by Jan 2027 she should be the TN CD7 Rep being sworn in by the Democratic Party Speaker of the House.
Scott, I was hoping Behn would win, but I’m encouraged she significantly closed the margin. The combination of a good candidate, relevant message of affordability and hard work! Every Governor should follow the lead of Pritzger and offer all appropriate vaccines to the state’s residents.
I second this reply! Disappointed she did not win, but encouraged about the progress she made in her district. Watched an interview with Aftyn, and though she was complimentary about her opponent, she was not about the people funding him. I loved her energy and fire. This was refreshing because of all of the vitriol and hate that is spewed daily by the regime.
I wish we had a country full of governors like Pritzker and Newsom! They demonstrate their support for their citizens in numerous ways and consistently push back against the lawlessness of this corrupt regime.
Never Give Up, indeed. And I know that is a tough row to hoe in FL. Hopefully, next weeks runoff for Miami Mayor will result in a win for Eileen Higgins.
With all the attention on Aftyn's race, it may not have been on your radar, but Mary Robichaux beat out the incumbent mayor of Roswell GA in a runoff last night by more than a 6 pt. margin. (I only know about the race because I wrote postcards for her campaign with Postcards to Voters).
Despite all the last minute hype in the press about her closing the the gap to within the margin of error, it was always going to be a long shot.
There is a bad news/good news aspect to these results. The GOP's last minute full-court press to get their voters to the polls clearly worked and it wasn't just voters who would typically show up at a special election who voted. (If that were the case, I think she would have further closed the margin).
The good news for Democrats is that turnout for the special election came within 2000 votes of the 2022 MIDTERMS and the GOP STILL lost considerable ground. The GOP cannot hope to claim that "low turnout" was the reason for erosion in support of their candidate. Voters simply don't like what the GOP is offering!! And like last night, Trump will not be on the ballot in 2026 so there won't be MAGA coattails to help the GOP candidates over the finish line.
But we all need to make the case between now and the next election that Trump and the GOP are a drag on ordinary voters' lives and their ability to feed, clothe, and house their families as well as keep them healthy.
Much as I would like to ask Trump voters "What the hecki did you expect?", if I have the opportunity to have a meaningful conversation, I will strive for the empathetic message of "He lied to you and you have a right to be upset". I hope people with MAGA relatives will try and reach out to them with compassion - even if they have to fake it to some extent. It is more important to win the war for Democracy than win points in an argtument!
What do you think about Tennessee’s special election swinging 13 points towards Democrats? We are all ready for good news like this.
What are your thoughts about Pritzker’s new vaccine access bill? Presidential behavior in my book. All Governors should be more like Pritzker. Not to forget Newsom who has been playing a unique role as comic relief and satirist for which I am grateful.
I actually want to comment on trump’s 5 hour, 160-post blitzkrieg on “truth social”. This is not normal, nor is the crap he yells in capital letters. This is something strung out meth addicts do, not the president of the United States. It is very concerning to me when seen in light of trump’s sleeping through meetings, his rambling lies and paranoid diatribes, his erratic behavior overall… his dementia or mental illness or whatever it is, is inching toward something catastrophic.
Did you see Jimmy Kimmel's Wall of Tweets last night showing every single post? It's insane! Then Kimmel mentioned that the 🍊🤡 started again at 5:48am! "No wonder he sleeps through Cabinet meetings!"
I did see that (a clip of it)!! Donald the Desperate Deranged Dork is in his own little world. After 10 minutes of yelling into the ether, anyone in their right mind would pause mid-tweet and realize how embarrassing, how weak, how "aggressively" and shamefully defensive they're being, but trump just keeps posting. I've never been on truth social - it sounds like it's trump's little blog, not a social media platform. People obviously read it, but 99% of the readers must dismiss 100% of what he rants about.
Aftyn Behn is a winner. This is only the beginning for her. Today’s Dworkin Report was hopeful, exciting, and a great example of America’s fight. Thank you for your consistent hard work, Scott.
Aftyn Behn ran a great campaign, but it's still Tennessee, the state that prosecuted John Scopes in 1925 for teaching evolution, and a century later is not much more tolerant.
The change in TN is a good beginning. I am glad Illinois is stepping in to provide vaccines. We still need to demand more from the federal government on vaccines which may take regime change to get. Until then, states can step in, they have done so on other issues.
A 13-point swing in a deep-red district is the political equivalent of the universe whispering, ‘Hey Tennessee, you good?’ And Pritzker signing a law to protect people from MAGA medical fairy tales is the kind of grown-up governance we used to take for granted. Meanwhile Trump is out here posting like a man trying to distract us from the fact that his MRI came back with the results ‘See attached Jell-O.’ The cracks are showing. People are waking up. Keep going.
Feel very thankful that these two people are putting their energy into stopping a Russian agent and his cabinet. It has made me decide that on giving Tuesday, I will give to these people that are trying to get the young people out and interested in saving our democracy that we have devoted our time and money to make Heave on Earth for ALL, not the BILLIONARIES that hate "less" people.
Damn, this coterie of vain cos-playing clowns. More concerned with appearance and posturing than actually doing their jobs, and grifting at the same time. Patel trying to be Boyfriend of the Year with government private jet flights and FBI Swat security. I wish he would use his own money to try and get laid.
Here's my interview with Rep. Eric Swalwell: https://www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/live-with-eric-swalwell-writing-americas
Today we are focused on these six actions:
Tell them to call for Hegseth's resignation: https://tinyurl.com/5b65awxk
Demand answers about Trump’s visibly deteriorating health: https://tinyurl.com/sk9xm38v
Stand with Ukraine over Russia: https://tinyurl.com/2khn59cr
Support discharge petition to force vote on ACA tax credits: https://tinyurl.com/w23tnvxm
Help us push for an investigation into the Epstein scandal HERE: https://tinyurl.com/4pfh2p4f
Pass bill on unmasking ICE and displaying clear ID here: https://tinyurl.com/bp8cau82
Aftyn Behn is a brave defender of democracy! She will win in her next run and make the MAGAts scared. I wrote a poem inspired by her: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/aftyn-behn-poem
Dear Scott,
The following is my letter, sent earlier today, to TN State Rep Aftyn Behn via her official substack:
=============
Dear Rep Aftyn Behn,
Firstly, (all the way from Seattle) my wife and I are grateful for your exceptional dedication to your constituents in TN and EVERY AMERICAN struggling to build an ever more inclusive, equitable Democracy.
Secondly, I've sent the following note to several folk including US Reps Jeffries & Crockett, to the Meiselas Brothers, to David Pakman, to Scott Dworkin, to Ron Filipkowski, to Brian Tyler Cohen, to Aaron Parnas & to Senator Sanders. I hope you are already planning to do what I encouraged each of them to support:
============
Dear,
Please encourage State Rep Aftyn Behn to BE the TN CD7 “Shadow Rep” while campaigning against Trumpian boot licker Epps from now until the Nov 2026 Mid-Terms.
Every vote he takes, every vote he avoids, all the promises he made that he certainly won’t be able to keep.
Hold the dude accountable everyday.
She could post a “What’s Epps Done Today For You?” on the front page of her website and score it “Nothing,” “Worse than Nothing,” etc.
She is an outstanding young leader and by Jan 2027 she should be the TN CD7 Rep being sworn in by the Democratic Party Speaker of the House.
=============
Thank you!!
Fabulous idea!!! I'm cutting and pasting! Bravo!! 💙🇺🇸
Thank you Maureen!!!
Scott, I was hoping Behn would win, but I’m encouraged she significantly closed the margin. The combination of a good candidate, relevant message of affordability and hard work! Every Governor should follow the lead of Pritzger and offer all appropriate vaccines to the state’s residents.
I second this reply! Disappointed she did not win, but encouraged about the progress she made in her district. Watched an interview with Aftyn, and though she was complimentary about her opponent, she was not about the people funding him. I loved her energy and fire. This was refreshing because of all of the vitriol and hate that is spewed daily by the regime.
I wish we had a country full of governors like Pritzker and Newsom! They demonstrate their support for their citizens in numerous ways and consistently push back against the lawlessness of this corrupt regime.
My💲 and time postcarding and phonebanking for Aftyn in TN 07 was well spent and I’m encouraged despite the loss.
Here in Fl 08 (General Election) the Dem candidate lost by 24% in 2024 and almost 30% in 2022 so IMO Aftyn knocked it out of the park!
Never.Give.Up.
💙
Never Give Up, indeed. And I know that is a tough row to hoe in FL. Hopefully, next weeks runoff for Miami Mayor will result in a win for Eileen Higgins.
With all the attention on Aftyn's race, it may not have been on your radar, but Mary Robichaux beat out the incumbent mayor of Roswell GA in a runoff last night by more than a 6 pt. margin. (I only know about the race because I wrote postcards for her campaign with Postcards to Voters).
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/politics/elections/mary-robichaux-defeats-incumbent-kurt-wilson-runoff-becomes-roswell-mayor-elect/85-11052139-f2a8-4fda-9dc8-ce5d43621a15
I feel you. I send my measly 5 bucks to Dems all across the country and it hurts, but we gotta keep on truckin'.
Despite all the last minute hype in the press about her closing the the gap to within the margin of error, it was always going to be a long shot.
There is a bad news/good news aspect to these results. The GOP's last minute full-court press to get their voters to the polls clearly worked and it wasn't just voters who would typically show up at a special election who voted. (If that were the case, I think she would have further closed the margin).
The good news for Democrats is that turnout for the special election came within 2000 votes of the 2022 MIDTERMS and the GOP STILL lost considerable ground. The GOP cannot hope to claim that "low turnout" was the reason for erosion in support of their candidate. Voters simply don't like what the GOP is offering!! And like last night, Trump will not be on the ballot in 2026 so there won't be MAGA coattails to help the GOP candidates over the finish line.
But we all need to make the case between now and the next election that Trump and the GOP are a drag on ordinary voters' lives and their ability to feed, clothe, and house their families as well as keep them healthy.
Much as I would like to ask Trump voters "What the hecki did you expect?", if I have the opportunity to have a meaningful conversation, I will strive for the empathetic message of "He lied to you and you have a right to be upset". I hope people with MAGA relatives will try and reach out to them with compassion - even if they have to fake it to some extent. It is more important to win the war for Democracy than win points in an argtument!
no chance sadly here in Florida with deathsantis our head of health another mr rainworms antivaxer
Brenda, you said what I was thinking. So thanks. I agree.
I’m proud of TN but disappointed that we weren’t able pull off victory! Next time!
Tennessee is finally waking up. Gov. Pritzker is awesome!
I can feel the energy jumping straight out of this post!
Hi Scott-Wonderful interview with Rep. Swalwell. Gives me great hope that there is a light at the end of this long and exhausting tunnel.
What do you think about Tennessee’s special election swinging 13 points towards Democrats? We are all ready for good news like this.
What are your thoughts about Pritzker’s new vaccine access bill? Presidential behavior in my book. All Governors should be more like Pritzker. Not to forget Newsom who has been playing a unique role as comic relief and satirist for which I am grateful.
Diane, I’ve read Newsom’s mri results and they’re amaaaaazing with shimmering arteries to a comparison to a Redwood!
I think the Felon’s liken him to a shriveled cactus.
Now Newsom is a politician who shows great PROMISE
What a clever bunch of people he has on his staff…gave me a good lol to start my day 🙌🏻
100--clearly the satirical skill is contagious and FUN
Shimmering arteries!!!! LOL :-) Thanks EaB I needed that!
I'd love to see Newsom as President. I think he should use all the fire he's riding right now into an announcement of running for 2028.
I actually want to comment on trump’s 5 hour, 160-post blitzkrieg on “truth social”. This is not normal, nor is the crap he yells in capital letters. This is something strung out meth addicts do, not the president of the United States. It is very concerning to me when seen in light of trump’s sleeping through meetings, his rambling lies and paranoid diatribes, his erratic behavior overall… his dementia or mental illness or whatever it is, is inching toward something catastrophic.
Did you see Jimmy Kimmel's Wall of Tweets last night showing every single post? It's insane! Then Kimmel mentioned that the 🍊🤡 started again at 5:48am! "No wonder he sleeps through Cabinet meetings!"
I did see that (a clip of it)!! Donald the Desperate Deranged Dork is in his own little world. After 10 minutes of yelling into the ether, anyone in their right mind would pause mid-tweet and realize how embarrassing, how weak, how "aggressively" and shamefully defensive they're being, but trump just keeps posting. I've never been on truth social - it sounds like it's trump's little blog, not a social media platform. People obviously read it, but 99% of the readers must dismiss 100% of what he rants about.
Aftyn Behn is a winner. This is only the beginning for her. Today’s Dworkin Report was hopeful, exciting, and a great example of America’s fight. Thank you for your consistent hard work, Scott.
Scott comes through even on unbelievably worse days and there's always a light at the end of the tunnel with him. 🤗💙🇺🇸
Boom! An all-star cast of champions here.
Aftyn Behn ran a great campaign, but it's still Tennessee, the state that prosecuted John Scopes in 1925 for teaching evolution, and a century later is not much more tolerant.
We can call it a win, adding to our momentum.
The change in TN is a good beginning. I am glad Illinois is stepping in to provide vaccines. We still need to demand more from the federal government on vaccines which may take regime change to get. Until then, states can step in, they have done so on other issues.
A 13-point swing in a deep-red district is the political equivalent of the universe whispering, ‘Hey Tennessee, you good?’ And Pritzker signing a law to protect people from MAGA medical fairy tales is the kind of grown-up governance we used to take for granted. Meanwhile Trump is out here posting like a man trying to distract us from the fact that his MRI came back with the results ‘See attached Jell-O.’ The cracks are showing. People are waking up. Keep going.
Feel very thankful that these two people are putting their energy into stopping a Russian agent and his cabinet. It has made me decide that on giving Tuesday, I will give to these people that are trying to get the young people out and interested in saving our democracy that we have devoted our time and money to make Heave on Earth for ALL, not the BILLIONARIES that hate "less" people.
Damn, this coterie of vain cos-playing clowns. More concerned with appearance and posturing than actually doing their jobs, and grifting at the same time. Patel trying to be Boyfriend of the Year with government private jet flights and FBI Swat security. I wish he would use his own money to try and get laid.