RELEASE: TIRRC VOTES JOINS PROGRESSIVE PARTNERS TO BOLSTER MAJOR PROGRESS IN TN-07
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 2, 2025
CONTACT
media@tirrcvotes.org
TIRRC VOTES JOINS PROGRESSIVE PARTNERS TO BOLSTER MAJOR PROGRESS IN TN-07
Democrat Aftyn Behn’s performance shows what's possible, and why Tennessee deserves smart investment in 2026.
NASHVILLE— TIRRC Votes and Tennessee’s grassroots movement is celebrating a meaningful progress today following Democrat Aftyn Behn’s performance in the special election for Tennessee’s 7th District, where organizers helped shift the margins in a district previously written off – signaling 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,” said Pratik Dash, Political Director of TIRRC Votes. “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.”
Aftyn Behn’s performance in the TN-07 special election was strengthened by years of deliberate, strategic organizing led by The Equity Alliance Fund, Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood, and TIRRC Votes. This coalition and their affiliated political action committees have been building year-round Black, brown, and white working-class power— long before national attention arrived — and engaged voters across Middle Tennessee through 106,838 doors, 226,081 calls, and 83,401 conversations.
TIRRC Votes’s efforts were targeted at immigrant voters in Montgomery and Davidson counties and were led by a team of 100 canvassers representing more than 15 countries. 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.
“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,” said Amira Ahmed, a canvasser with TIRRC Votes Action PAC and a voter in TN-07. “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.”
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,” said Dash. “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.”
###
TIRRC Votes was launched in 2018 to strengthen and expand our democracy by building power in immigrant and refugee communities and advocating for equitable and inclusive public policy. One of the leading organizations in Tennessee capable of building a new electorate and mobilizing the state's progressive base voters, they are a model for effective, immigrant-led political organizations in the Southeast. Outside of elections, TIRRC Votes is leading the way at the local and state level in policy advocacy, defeating dozens of anti-immigrant and anti-refugee bills each year at the state legislature and casting a new narrative about who gets to be a Tennessean. TIRRC Votes is affiliated with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC).