{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nA.J. Massey is the incumbent Madison County Mayor, first elected in 2022, and is the Republican nominee seeking re-election on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot.[1][2] He won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary with 3,165 votes, defeating County Commissioner Andy Hall (2,280 votes) and businessman Samuel T. Bryant (1,372 votes).[2] His re-election campaign uses the slogan \"Promises made, promises delivered,\" emphasizing new and expanding industry investment and \"no new taxes or debt\" during his term.[2] He faces independent candidate Fren'Cherry R. Miller in the general election.[3]\n\n## Background and education\nMassey is a West Tennessee native who has lived in Jackson most of his life and graduated from Jackson Central-Merry High School.[1] He played football at the University of Mississippi and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Union University, followed by a Master of Business Administration from Union in 2014.[1]\n\n## Career\nBefore entering public office, Massey worked in banking, holding positions at a large regional bank, a local community bank, and a credit union.[1]\n\n## Office history\nMassey served on the Jackson-Madison County School Board from 2018 to 2022 before being elected Madison County Mayor in 2022.[1]\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nMassey's campaign highlights economic-development recruitment, infrastructure investment, and fiscal management with no new county taxes or debt during his term.[1][2] Recognitions include Leadership Jackson (2009), the Association of Leadership Programs' Distinguished Leadership Award (2016), and the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth's Senator Douglas Henry Outstanding Public Official Award (2024).[1]\n\n## Family\nMassey is married to Lauren, and the couple have two sons, Brooks and Wells.[1] He is a deacon at Englewood Baptist Church and has served on the boards of Madison County CASA and the Boys & Girls Club of Jackson.[1]\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Meet AJ \u2014 Reelect Mayor AJ Massey](https://ajmassey.com/meet-aj/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[2] [Incumbent Madison County mayor defeats challengers, wins May 5 primary \u2014 AOL](https://www.aol.com/articles/incumbent-madison-county-mayor-defeats-030405779.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[3] [Madison County August 6, 2026 petition candidate list \u2014 Madison County Election Commission](https://madisoncountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/17463/Petition-Candidate-List-August-2026) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","county":"Madison","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Mayor"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"A.J.","fullname":"A.J. Massey","lastname":"Massey","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"Madison","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"Madison","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":"County Mayor","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Incumbent Madison County Mayor, elected 2022; a former JMCSS school board member and banker seeking re-election in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"4B7mYByaf8"}