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Richie Beeler
Office history
Current office and 2026 campaign
Richie (Richard) Beeler is a Knox County Commissioner representing District 8 and currently serves as commission chairman. He is a Republican candidate for Knox County Clerk in the 2026 election, running in a field that included John J. Duncan, John R. Whitehead and Rodney Lane to succeed longtime Clerk Sherry Witt. Beeler says he wants to make commission library records more accessible to the public and expand self-service technology to improve motor vehicle services countywide 3.
Background and career
Beeler had worked in the Knox County courthouse for about 30 years before seeking the Clerk's office 1. In a 2011 memoir, "Beyond the Cross," he wrote candidly about a troubled period as a young adult that included a "struggle with drugs, pornography and gambling," and has described his Christian faith as central to moving past it 1.
Office history
Beeler was appointed to the Knox County Commission in December 2018 to fill the District 8 seat vacated when Dave Wright was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives. He was elected to a full four-year term in 2020 and became commission chairman that year 1. As commissioner, he has worked on District 8 infrastructure projects including the Gibbs High School football stadium, a pedestrian bridge across Tazewell Pike named for Gibbs High graduate Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss (killed in the 2021 Kabul airport attack), and intersection improvements at Tazewell Pike and Emory Road 2.
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 “Beeler”, 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 (“Beeler”).
Tennessee — statement of interest
- Required for state and local officials and candidates — Tennessee Ethics Commission Conflict of Interest Search. Enter last name “Beeler”and, if needed, select the applicable position.