(New York) On November 18, Kamala Harris participated in her very first electoral activity for the benefit of a Democratic candidate since leaving office as vice-president.
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Megaphone in hand, she addressed volunteers gathered in a Nashville park, before heading to the campus of a local university.
“Why am I in Tennessee?” she asked volunteers who were preparing to go door-to-door to promote the candidacy of Aftyn Behn, who is seeking a seat in the United States House of Representatives in a special election scheduled for December 2.
“Because I know the power is in the South,” she added, answering her own question.
There are two ways to interpret Kamala Harris’ words. The South plays a key role in the selection of the Democratic Party’s presidential candidates, a phenomenon that worked in Joe Biden’s favor in 2020.
However, if the former vice-president ever thinks of launching a bid for the White House in 2028, she will not be able to achieve it without the support of this region and its many African-American voters.
But the South could also send a powerful message next Tuesday.
Democratic hopes
Normally, the extraordinary election held in the 7e Tennessee’s constituency should be of interest to almost no one outside its borders, which include part of Nashville, a Democratic stronghold, and vast rural swathes of the conservative state. In 2024, former Republican Representative Mark Green was re-elected there by a margin of 21 percentage points. He left his seat in July 2025 to return to the private sector.
However, the battle to replace Mark Green has acquired national importance, because of the hopes that the Democrats have of surprising the Republicans, or at least of shaking them, in one of their strongholds in the South.
These hopes are based in particular on the more resounding Democratic victories than expected during the local elections of November 4, as well as on the generally higher participation rate of Democratic voters during extraordinary elections in recent years.
The date of the election is itself a source of uncertainty. The motivation to go to the polls after the gluttony, parades and other festivities of Thanksgivingwhich will take place on Thursday and continue throughout the weekend, could vary from party to party.
But are the Democrats’ hopes really realistic?
Concerned Republicans
“It will be very difficult for Democrats to win this seat,” replies John Geer, a political scientist and pollster at Vanderbilt University, a private institution in Nashville. “It would be a big surprise, but if they manage to reduce the gap to 6, 7 or 8 percentage points, it would certainly be a psychological victory for them. »
That said, the professor notes that Tennessee Republicans aren’t acting like they’re taking victory for granted.
The Republicans are afraid. What I mean by that is they are investing a lot of money in this campaign because they don’t want to lose this seat.
John Geer, political scientist and pollster at Vanderbilt University
“They think they might lose her. Otherwise, they wouldn’t spend so much money,” he adds.
According to the website Punchbowl, Republican candidate Matt Van Epps and his allies have spent more than $2.7 million since last month to portray his Democratic rival as “AOC from Tennessee” in ads. This is an allusion to New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the bête noire of conservatives.
The ads from Matt Van Epps, a veteran, notably recall his rival’s support for trans people and his opposition to immigration police.
Affordability and Epstein Records
Democratic candidate Aftyn Behn is a community organizer who was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2023. Like other Democratic candidates who achieved success on November 4, she emphasized the theme of affordability during her campaign, one of whose slogans was “Feed kids, fix roads and fund hospitals” (feed children, repair roads and fund hospitals).
She also criticized her rival for being too close to Donald Trump, particularly on the Epstein files. Matt Van Epps was opposed to their publication until the president reversed course on the issue.
Note that Aftyn Behn avoided campaigning alongside Kamala Harris on November 18. She undoubtedly wanted to take advantage of the former vice-president’s ability to mobilize Democratic troops, but she did not want to be photographed with her, for fear of mobilizing Republican voters.
As for Kamala Harris, she killed two birds with one stone. In Nashville, she not only remembered the good memories of Democratic voters who could help her in 2028. She also continued her promotional tour for 107 Dayshis book on the 2024 presidential election.
Question: “How do you explain the silence of your American colleagues during the press scrum where Donald Trump insulted a journalist by calling her a “slut…”? Does journalistic solidarity still exist among our neighbors? », asks Louise Dessureault.
Answer: This solidarity was certainly not expressed at the time, but it still pushed prominent journalists to condemn Donald Trump’s comments. On CNN, for example, host Jake Tapper called the comments “disgusting and completely unacceptable.” It’s obviously another story to say it in front of the president on Air Force One. It is possible that colleagues of the targeted journalist, Catherine Lucey, preferred to remain silent rather than risk losing their place on board the presidential plane.
