Tennessee Democratic District Representative Aftyn Behn (D) believes men can give birth. Now, she’s running for a congressional seat.

Her opinion became apparent during a 2020 episode of her podcast “Grits.” She followed up her use of the term “birthers” by stating that “men and women … can give birth.” As Breitbart summarized, “She made the comment before discussing a book by pro-abortion feminist Jenny Brown called Birth Strike, which argues that women should refuse to have children as a way to collectively bargain with the government and achieve their political aims.”

Behn has also openly supported transgenderism for children. She called the Supreme Court ruling in the United States v. Skrmetti case, which upheld a Tennessee law protecting minors from sex change drugs, a “gut punch to transgender youth and their families.” As she further stated, “This 6-3 ruling only emboldens the far-right’s relentless attack on transgender rights, pushing us further into a dangerous future where politics — rather than science — dictates the lives of our most vulnerable.”

The list goes on. In 2023, Behn said she previously “ran on an unabashed progressive campaign platform of standing up for trans kids and standing up for reproductive access,” emphasizing that she will “never compromise on values of abortion access or trans kids.” Similar sentiments have been made toward support for drag queens who have encouraged children to attend their “shows.”

After a trans-identifying individual opened fire at Nashville’s Covenant School in 2023, a Christian elementary school, she directed her sympathy not to the victims of the shooting, but to trans-identifying people. As she put it, having a “partner” with “a trans son” allegedly made the aftermath of that deadly shooting “incredibly upsetting for us. In the wake of the Covenant shooting, and the disclosure that the Covenant shooter was trans, I was pulled into a chat with other trans organizers and activists across the state that were fearful of their lives.” Reportedly, this shooting motivated her to run for political office to fight “every day” for “protections for trans kids and our trans communities.”

“Remember,” she posted on Facebook, “you come for my trans community, I come for you.”

It turns out, Behn is an example of what the Democratic Party looks like these days. And it’s left many conservatives wondering: how might this affect the upcoming 2026 midterm elections?

According to a recent popularity poll conducted by NPR/PBS News/Marist, roughly 55% of American adults said they would vote for a Democrat in the midterms if they were held today. In contrast, only 41% said the same about Republicans. As The Washington Stand previously reported, “The 14-point lead is the largest Democrats have held since 2017, in the first year of President Donald Trump’s first term.” And yet, this same poll that found a majority in favor of Democratic candidates also found that Democrats are, by and large, the ones blamed for the recent government shutdown, which now marks the longest in U.S. history.

So, why the support for a party that was blamed for the shutdown and, many argue, hold to highly controversial opinions? Matt Carpenter, director of Family Research Council’s political arm, FRC Action, answered this question in a comment to The Washington Stand.

“Despite being historically unpopular,” he said, “the Democratic Party can depend on their base to be enthusiastic to vote. This is not unusual. Typically, the party out of power benefits from their base being highly motivated to turn out. Add to this their recent successes in the 2025 elections, and the Democratic Party base believes congressional majorities are within reach. So far, neither an unpopular agenda, nor a dysfunctional and leaderless party, have dampened the enthusiasm of the Democratic base.” On the other hand, he added, “Republicans in Congress … have the blame (fairly or not) for voters’ sense that the economy is not strong, the added burden of actually governing and making difficult decisions, and the political reality of needing Democratic support for almost anything to pass the Senate, where they hold a bare majority.”

This is the current political landscape, and as Carpenter argued, “The greatest predictor of an election outcome is incumbency; the next greatest is redistricting.” When it comes to the potential outcomes of the 2026 midterms, Carpenter found it important to understand what’s starting to shift now that will likely have ripple effects into the future. “So far,” he said, “this cycle we have 46 members who have announced their retirement from Congress — 38 in the House and eight in the Senate — and a mid-decade redistricting fight between blue and red states. This means the advantage of incumbency will be missing in 46 races, and for those running for a seat in the House, there’s a good chance their district has been redrawn — or could be redrawn — to reflect the partisan leaning of their state government.”

“Aside from incumbency and redistricting,” he continued, “campaign fundraising is the next most important factor, generally the side that raises the most money prevails in close races — this is especially true in the Senate.” Carpenter summarized the roadmap for Republican success: “For the GOP to retain their majorities in Congress, they will need to retain as much of their advantages in incumbency, redistricting, and fundraising as possible, because the Democrat base is fired up to vote. So far, the advantages in all three seem to give the Democrats an edge.”

He acknowledged that the midterms are 11 months away, “and a lot — including how motivated each party’s base is — could change between now and then.” That said, he gave some advice for Christians and conservatives who want to be forward thinking. As he put it, “The most important thing a Christian can do is pray and then make a plan to vote. Studies show that when someone makes a plan to vote, they are almost guaranteed to vote. That means checking your voter registration status, finding your precinct, knowing when the polls are open, choosing when and how you’ll vote, and — most importantly — researching the candidates and initiatives on your ballot so you know how you’ll be voting.” All of this can be done through FRC Action’s website.

“Once you’ve done all that,” Carpenter added, “talk about the issues coming up in the midterms with your church small group, and like-minded friends, neighbors, family, co-workers, etc. In other words: encourage others you know to also make a plan to vote.” Carpenter highlighted a sober reality: “Unfortunately, studies … show a great degree of apathy among Christians when it comes time to vote. There are millions of Christians who believe, wrongly, that their vote doesn’t matter, or won’t count, or they don’t take the time to research the candidates. They miss out on the opportunity to vote for leaders who will stand up for the values they care about.”

To push back against those with this mindset, Carpenter concluded: “Proverbs 21:1 says, ‘The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.’ Every believer should pray for conviction and wisdom in stewarding their vote and then share what they are learning with those around them.”