{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nJosh Walker is the Democratic nominee for Rutherford County Commission District 20 on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot, challenging Republican incumbent Trey Gooch [1][2]. Walker was unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary [3]. He describes himself as running to advocate for working families, saying he has seen rising living costs affect residents and wants to apply his professional background in problem-solving to community challenges [1]. His stated priorities include affordable housing with development constraints, requiring infrastructure such as roads and sewage for new developments, prioritizing public school funding over charter schools, strengthening public services, and protecting civil rights, including opposition to book bans [1]. His campaign reports an endorsement from Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood [1].\n\n## Background and education\n\nWalker describes himself as a 15-year resident of Rutherford County whose children have attended local schools [1].\n\n## Career\n\nWalker describes his professional background as being in data analysis, specializing in \"finding and solving problems\" [1].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [Elect Josh Walker \u2014 campaign site](https://electjoshwalker.com/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[2] [Election Deadline: Who Qualified for 2026 RuCo Primary \u2014 WGNS Radio](https://www.wgnsradio.com/article/97847/election-deadline-who-qualified-for-2026-ruco-primary) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[3] [Rutherford County Voters Shake Up Local Leadership In Primary Election \u2014 WGNS Radio](https://www.wgnsradio.com/article/99257/live-may-5th-rutherford-county-primary-election-results-and-coverage-tonight-beginning-at-7pm) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_20","county":"Rutherford","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Commission District 20"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"JOSH","fullname":"JOSH WALKER","lastname":"WALKER","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_20","contest_title":"County Commission District 20","county":"Rutherford","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_20","office_title":null,"party":"D","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_20","contest_title":"County Commission District 20","county":"Rutherford","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_20","office_title":null,"party":"D","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"D","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission_district_20","office_title":"County Commission District 20","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Democratic nominee for Rutherford County Commission District 20, a 15-year county resident with a data-analysis background running to advocate for working families.","terms":[],"token":"DcU1lGkrL1"}