Race to replace Rep. Mark Green gets crowded quickly
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
A crush of candidates launched campaigns in recent days to replace U.S. Rep. Mark Green, who made his retirement official last week.
Why it matters: Green's retirement will trigger a special election, which will double as a political battle royal.
The intrigue: In a compelling race-within-a-race situation, Democratic state representatives Aftyn Behn and Bo Mitchell announced their candidacies on Monday.
Behn, a progressive darling who led the push to cut the state's grocery tax, filed paperwork to begin her campaign. She represents eastern and northern parts of Nashville.
- "Every day the cost of living is going up, and this 'Big, Bulls**t bill' they just passed codified the largest transfer of wealth from working people to the wealthy in American history," she tells Axios.
- "I got my start organizing to save Medicaid and rural hospitals in the 7th district, and I'm ready to take that fight to Congress because this moment demands fearless leadership."
Mitchell, who represents western and northwestern parts of Davidson County, is a former city council member known for his public education advocacy.
- "I'll always put the people of Tennessee first," Mitchell said in a press release. "That means I'll work with anyone in either party when it helps our state, and I will continue to stand up to anyone who tries to hurt our state – like this new law will do."
The other side: State representatives Jody Barrett, Jay Reedy, Lee Reeves and former state official Matt Van Epps are among the Republicans entering the race.
The bottom line: The race is of interest to state lawmakers because it will take place this year and they won't have to give up their legislative seats to run.