HEARTBREAK HOTEL, LEGISLATIVE EDITION. Many have speculated over why Democrat State Reps. Justin Jones and Aftyn Behn so clearly despise each other. Some have assumed it’s because both want to occupy the same lane as the primary face of the far left most woke version of AOC in Tennessee. Others point to the fact that they both are fishing in the same pool of out of state leftist funding for their activist promotional efforts, which appears to be their main source of income since neither seem to have a real job.
With Rep. Justin Pearson now running for Congress in Memphis, with a legitimate shot at unseating Steve Cohen, some have even wondered if Aftyn might fill a vacant slot in the Tennessee Three, keeping it a cozy trio.
Well, that’s not going to happen. Aftyn and Justin J. used to date. It ended badly; hence the palpable and fiery level of animosity. No verifiable word on who ended it with who (or is it whom?); but rumors abound in legislative circles about who ended up with who on the Merry Go Round rebound.
But the political “play of the year” for 2025 will likely end up in the hands of House Speaker Cameron Sexton for placing Behn and Jones as seatmates in the House chamber…a pairing that will continue in the upcoming Session. Play close attention to videos of House activity and you will notice that Jones never actually sits down in his assigned seat, preferring to seemingly wander aimlessly through the Chamber, chatting with almost everybody — except Aftyn.
Nominations are still open for Tennessee’s 2025 political “play of the year”, but Cameron seems to have an insurmountable lead at this point!
DOMINOES STARTING TO FALL INTO PLACE. The inevitable political openings that arise when ambitious politicians seek higher office are starting to shape up into 2026 matchups, promising a contentious year of political rivalry ahead.
Senator Marsha Blackburn is running for governor, but her term extends for another four years so she does not have to vacate her seat unless or until she is elected. 6th District Congressman John Rose, however, must forgo his reelection campaign as he pursues the governor‘s office. The battle for his dark red district has State Rep. Johnny Garrett and former congressman and Rose chief of staff Van Hilleary already fundraising and campaigning hard. A third candidate, Jon Henry, is circulating through the district, but the January financial reporting will review whether he can actually compete with Garrett and Hillary for the August GOP nomination or not.
Garrett’s pursuit of the congressional seat leaves his Sumner County statehouse seat up for grabs. GOP state executive committee member and former Sumner County Commissioner Chris Hughes will reportedly launch a campaign in early January. Hughes served two terms on the Sumner County commission before self term limiting. Brian Stewart, a local realtor who was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Sumner County commission and then lost his reelection bid, is also seeking to fill Garrett’s spot.
If state representative Jody Barrett, fresh off his 7th district congressional special election campaign, challenges State Senator Kerry Roberts in the GOP primary in August, that would likely draw several challengers seeking to fill his seat.
Several state House and Senate retirements may be forthcoming in the weeks ahead. Stay tuned.
Steve Gill is editor and publisher of TriStar Daily
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