{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMatt Rhea is the incumbent Fayette County Commissioner for District 1, Position 1 (Somerville), and a Republican candidate for re-election in 2026 [4]. He won a contested May 5, 2026 Republican primary, defeating Dean Clouse 127 votes to 58 (68.65% to 31.35%) [2]. No Democratic candidate qualified for the race, leaving Rhea unopposed for the August 6, 2026 Fayette County general election [2].\n\n## Background and education\nRhea has family roots in Fayette County: he was listed as a casket bearer at the 2007 funeral of William A. \"Bill\" Rhea, Jr., described as a \"native Fayette Countian and United States Veteran,\" and is identified in the obituary as a grandchild of William A. Rhea, Sr. and Jessie Scott Rhea [3]. No source establishes any relation between Matt Rhea and fellow 2026 Fayette County Commission candidate Dave Rhea (District 2, Position 1); the two should not be assumed related.\n\n## Office history\nRhea currently serves as Fayette County Commissioner for District 1 [4].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Candidate Lists | Tennessee Secretary of State](https://sos.tn.gov/elections/2026-candidate-lists) - accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Fayette County Election Commission, 2026 Primary Election Summary Report](https://fayettetn.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26-5-5-Primary-Totals.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [William \"Bill\" Rhea, Jr. Obituary, September 28, 2007 - Peebles Fayette County Funeral Homes](https://www.peeblesfuneralhome.com/obituaries/william-rheajr)\n[4] [Fayette County Board of County Commissioners](https://fayettetn.us/county-boards-councils/county-commission/) - accessed 2026-07-06","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_1","county":"Fayette","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Commission District 1 Position 1"},{"contest":"county_commissioner_district_1_position_1","county":"fayette","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"County Commissioner District 1 Position 1"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Matt","fullname":"Matt Rhea","lastname":"Rhea","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_1","contest_title":"County Commission District 1 Position 1","county":"Fayette","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_1","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_1","contest_title":"County Commission District 1 Position 1","county":"Fayette","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_1","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission_district_1","office_title":"County Commission District 1 Position 1","state":"TN","terms":[]},{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commissioner_district_1_position_1","contest_title":"County Commissioner District 1 Position 1","county":"fayette","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-05-05","office_county":"fayette","office_key":"county_commission_district_1_position_1","office_title":"County Commissioner District 1 Position 1","party":"R","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"}],"county":"fayette","cycles":[{"general":null,"party":"R","primary":{"contest":"county_commissioner_district_1_position_1","contest_title":"County Commissioner District 1 Position 1","county":"fayette","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-05-05","office_county":"fayette","office_key":"county_commission_district_1_position_1","office_title":"County Commissioner District 1 Position 1","party":"R","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"},"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission_district_1_position_1","office_title":"County Commissioner District 1 Position 1","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Incumbent Fayette County Commissioner, District 1; won a contested Republican primary in May 2026 and is unopposed in the August general.","terms":[],"token":"9YSxfKn3kR"}