State Rep. Aftyn Behn is projected to win the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 7th Congressional District on Tuesday, beating out a crowded field on a compressed election timeline. Behn’s high name recognition and progressive platform helped bring out voters in an otherwise low-turnout, off-cycle primary. Republican Rep. Mark Green, who abruptly resigned from Congress over the summer , won the seat by 21 percentage points in November, suggesting long odds for Behn in the Dec. 2 general election.

Though Behn lives just outside the district, she has a long history as a progressive organizer, particularly around rural health care — a central issue in the sprawling 14-county district. Behn’s proud progressive stances and insistence on younger Democratic standard-bearers separated her f

See Full Page