S3.4 Aftyn Behn and Todd Warner: The “AOC of Tennessee” and “The Unapologetic Conservative” and Their Hot Takes on the 2024 Legislative Session

Climbing the Charts with Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller

In this episode, Climbing the Charts sits down with Republican Representative Todd Warner (District 92) and Democratic Representative Aftyn Behn (District 51). Aftyn, increasingly described as the “AOC of Tennessee,” the youngest woman elected to the Tennessee House, is poised to be a fearless advocate for progressive values. Todd, by contrast, is the “Unapologetic Conservative,” a successful business and family man who is devoted to protecting and furthering traditional, conservative values and constitutional freedoms.

These two, who had previously never met, go head-to-head on matters from the Scotty Campbell scandal to the expulsion of the Tennessee Three to reproductive rights, school vouchers, gun control and bipartisanship. Tennessee politics were a source of outrage, tragedy, and scandal, but also weighty policy debates and memorable humor in 2023, inspiring multiple sketches and commentaries on Colbert and Saturday Night Live. After CTC’s discussion with these representatives, we cannot wait to see what’s in store in the Tennessee General Assembly in 2024.