{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nBrad Bryant is the Republican Party nominee for Blount County Clerk on the August 6, 2026 county general election ballot, running to succeed retiring incumbent Gaye Hasty [1][2]. He defeated Allen Latham in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary and faces Democratic nominee Shelby F. Shankland and independent candidate Scott Keith Knight in the general [1][2].\n\n## Background and education\nBryant is the founding and teaching pastor of 180 Church (RIO 180) in Maryville. He and his wife, Tammy, began attending RIO in 2000; he became RIO's Associate Pastor in 2003, and in November 2005 was asked to plant a new congregation in Blount County, which held its first service in 2006 [3]. Per his Daily Times \"Hats in the Ring\" candidate profile, Bryant has served as Chief of Staff in the Blount County Clerk's office since July 2025 and has completed more than 40 hours of training toward the County Technical Assistance Service's County Officials Certificate Training Program [1].\n\n## Career\nBy his own account in the candidate profile, Bryant worked as a supervisor and manager at two manufacturing facilities \u2014 BTR and Panasonic Speakers \u2014 in his twenties and early thirties. He also describes 20 years leading 180 Church, 14 years as Chief Financial Officer for three locally owned businesses (until May 2025), during which he says those businesses grew from roughly $750,000 to close to $6 million in gross receipts, and 23 years as a police chaplain [1].\n\n## Family\nBryant says he and his wife, Tammy, have been married 36 years and have two adult children and three grandchildren [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [GOP: Blount County Clerk \u2014 Hats in the Ring, The Daily Times](https://www.thedailytimes.com/news/gop-blount-county-clerk/pdf_8862d93a-47d7-4e06-91c5-9ef4417ea558.html), Marcus Fitzsimmons, April 2026 \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [August 6, 2026 Official Ballot for Blount County](https://www.blounttn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/30077/August-6-2026-Sample-Ballot-PDF) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [RIO Network \u2014 180 Church](https://180churchtn.com/rio-network/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_clerk","county":"Blount","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Clerk"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Brad","fullname":"Brad Bryant","lastname":"Bryant","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_clerk","contest_title":"County Clerk","county":"Blount","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_clerk","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_clerk","contest_title":"County Clerk","county":"Blount","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_clerk","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_clerk","office_title":"County Clerk","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Founding pastor of Maryville's 180 Church and Chief of Staff in the Blount County Clerk's office; Republican nominee for County Clerk on the Aug. 6, 2026 ballot.","terms":[],"token":"BRfUabtGv1"}