{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nHunter Fowler is the interim Fentress County Sheriff and an independent candidate for the office on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot [1][2]. He is running against Republican nominee Gary \"Goose\" Ledbetter [2].\n\n## Office history\nFowler was serving as chief deputy when the Fentress County Commission voted 8-2 on March 24, 2026 to appoint him interim sheriff, a term running until the August 2026 election [1]. The vacancy followed the resignation of Sheriff Michael Reagon, who stepped down after being charged in connection with falsifying training records [1]. On his appointment Fowler said he was \"truly honored and humbled by the trust placed in me\" and vowed not to \"let this county down\" [1].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\nIn May 2026, an issue involving inmate absentee ballots at the Fentress County Jail, which the sheriff's office oversees, prompted a review. Fowler said the Fentress County Election Commission identified and corrected the problem following guidance from Tennessee's Division of Elections, adding that he takes \"the integrity of our election process very seriously\" [2].","campaigns":[{"contest":"sheriff","county":"Fentress","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"Sheriff"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"HUNTER","fullname":"HUNTER FOWLER","lastname":"FOWLER","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"sheriff","contest_title":"Sheriff","county":"Fentress","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"sheriff","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"sheriff","contest_title":"Sheriff","county":"Fentress","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"sheriff","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"I","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Independent candidate and current interim Fentress County Sheriff; appointed chief deputy-to-interim in March 2026 and running for a full term against Gary Ledbetter.","terms":[],"token":"CpH2JcnP5q"}