DNC hits the ground for Tenn. state Rep. Aftyn Behn's House campaign
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Photo: courtesy of the Behn campaign.
The Democratic National Committee is going all in to help state Rep. Aftyn Behn's campaign in the final stretch of the District 7 U.S. House race.
Why it matters: Democrats hope a ground game boost can propel Behn to a victory against Republican Matt Van Epps in a race that has heightened national attention.
Driving the news: The DNC tells Axios its volunteers have contacted 40,000 voters in District 7 through door-knocking and other canvassing efforts.
- It plans to increase its ground game even more in the lead-up to election day on Dec. 2.
The big picture: Democratic candidates for the House don't usually see this kind of boost from the national party in Tennessee.
- Two factors are helping Behn's candidacy. For one, Democrats have some momentum nationally after a strong showing in the election earlier this month, when they staged wins in Virginia, New Jersey and Georgia.
- It's also an off-cycle special election, so both sides have spare resources to dedicate to the race.
What they're saying: "The DNC's distributed organizing team — composed of thousands of volunteers across the country — has contacted tens of thousands of voters in TN-07 in less than a week in support of her campaign, and we're only just getting started," DNC Organizing Director Lorenza Ramirez said in a statement.
The other side: Van Epps got a boost from President Trump himself, who participated in a virtual rally earlier this month.
- Republican donors are also stepping up their spending, including a pro-Trup political action committee committing $1 million in ad buys for the stretch run.
Catch up quick: The district, which includes a large swath of Nashville, stretches from the Kentucky state line to the Alabama state line.
- The seat is open because Rep. Mark Green retired over the summer. Green won reelection last year by nearly 22 percentage points.