Real power, Real progress.
As the results rolled in from the special election tonight, one thing was clear: we've built real power and it's translating into real progress.
Our endorsed candidate Aftyn Behn’s performance in Tennessee’s 7th District, where our organizers helped shift the margins in a district previously written off, signals growing competitiveness in the region.
In a district engineered to entrench extremist political power, voters sent a message: when communities organize together, they can make progress against forces long considered unmovable. Tennessee’s immigrant communities organized and mobilized in greater numbers than previous Congressional elections. These gains show that when every community is welcomed into the democratic process, we can all rise together.
Tonight‘s results were delivered by our years of deliberate, strategic organizing alongside our movement partners The Equity Alliance Fund and Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood. Together our coalition has been building year-round Black, brown, and white working-class power— long before national attention on this race arrived —and engaged voters across Middle Tennessee through 106,838 doors, 226,081 calls, and 83,401 conversations.
Our team of 100 canvassers representing more than 15 countries led the way in reaching out to immigrant voters. Together, this group of diverse canvassers, many of whom are young, Muslim women, knocked on 42,689 doors and made 44,321 calls to voters to mobilize them to the polls.
Our canvasser Amira shared why she was proud to work with our team in this pivotal election: "As a Somali mom, I want what’s best for my kids, my community, and my state. That's why I knew I had to do more than just cast my ballot. Over the past two months, I've had hundreds of conversations with voters across the district who are ready for leaders that put our families, freedoms, and futures first, and I'm proud to have been a part of the team and coalition making sure they had the tools to make their voices heard."
And Amira‘s work paid off. Data from early voting showed Hispanic and Asian and Pacific Islander voter turnout in the general election more than doubled compared to the primary election, demonstrating intentional voter outreach results in greater civic participation in Tennessee's most diverse communities.
These turnout shifts reflect the impact of long-term, community-rooted organizing, not just a single election cycle. TIRRC Votes and our coalition partners will remain in these communities long after Election Day — continuing to build power and expand voter participation across Tennessee.