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Mike Davis
born 1972-02-12 (Age 54)
Office history
Current office and 2026 campaign
Mike Davis is a Knoxville-area law enforcement veteran who ran as one of four Republican candidates for Knox County Sheriff in the May 5, 2026 primary 1. He placed third, receiving 14.20% of the vote (6,330 votes), behind Assistant Chief Deputy Brent Gibson (44.14%, 19,672 votes) and Assistant Chief Deputy David Amburn (13,443 votes), and ahead of former Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones (5,124 votes) 23. Gibson advances to face the Democratic nominee in the August 6, 2026 general election 1.
Background and education
Davis, 61, is a University of Tennessee, Knoxville graduate who has coached football at Knoxville-area high schools 1. He is married to Republican state Rep. Elaine Davis and has three children and two grandchildren 14.
Career
Davis has more than 30 years in law enforcement, beginning as a Knox County Sheriff's Office correctional officer and POST-certified deputy sheriff before joining the U.S. Department of Justice's Drug Enforcement Administration 1. During his DEA career he worked drug-trafficking investigations in Tennessee, Arizona, New York, Michigan, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and - per his campaign website - "developed and directed" multi-jurisdictional task force investigations and trained newly hired federal agents and task force officers 4.
Documented disputes and controversies
Days after the May 5 primary, two of Davis's opponents in the race - David Amburn, an assistant chief deputy, and Jimmy "J.J." Jones, a former sheriff - were indicted on theft and conspiracy charges stemming from a wide-ranging corruption investigation into the Sheriff's Office 35. Davis filed a challenge with the Tennessee Republican Party's State Primary Board, calling the primary result "grossly unfair" and arguing it should be voided and rerun; he did not allege unlawful voting but argued voters "would likely have voted differently had they received the critical information about the investigations and indictments" before casting ballots 356. The state GOP primary board denied the challenge in June 2026, ruling it lacked authority to order a new primary election; the results, and Gibson's nomination, stand 67.
Sources
Public filings
Candidates and officeholders are required by law to file campaign finance reports and statements of economic interest. The sites below don't support direct links to an individual record — search by last name on each.
Tennessee — campaign finance (search)
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State offices (Governor, TN Senate, TN House, State Executive Committee, statewide judiciary) —
Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.
Click Search for Candidates and PACs, enter last name “Davis”, and submit.
US House, US Senate, and Presidential candidates file with the FEC — see the federal section below. - County and municipal offices (County Mayor, Commissioner, Sheriff, School Board, court clerks, municipal alderman, etc.) — most major TN counties use the EasyVote portal. Select the relevant county and search by candidate name (“Davis”).
Tennessee — statement of interest
- Required for state and local officials and candidates — Tennessee Ethics Commission Conflict of Interest Search. Enter last name “Davis”and, if needed, select the applicable position.