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Richard G. Baker
Office history
Current office and 2026 campaign
Richard G. Baker of Johnson City, Tennessee is running as an independent candidate for Tennessee's 1st Congressional District in 2026 13. He is scheduled to appear on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot 2. This marks Baker's fourth campaign for the seat: he first ran in the 2020 Republican primary, then ran as an independent in the 2022 and 2024 general elections 3.
Baker has called for reforming the federal legislative process by limiting each bill to a single subject or item, arguing that such a rule would allow legislation to be evaluated on its own merits 14.
Background and education
Baker holds a GED plus approximately one and a half years of college coursework 1. He served in the U.S. Army from 1971 to 1974 and received an honorable discharge 1.
Career
After his military service, Baker worked as a seasonal worker in Gatlinburg, Tennessee from approximately 1980 to 2000 1. He subsequently worked as a PTI taxi driver assigned to the CSX Transportation railroad yard in Erwin, Tennessee from March 2005 to October 2016 1.
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 “Baker”, 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 (“Baker”).
Tennessee — statement of interest
- Required for state and local officials and candidates — Tennessee Ethics Commission Conflict of Interest Search. Enter last name “Baker”and, if needed, select the applicable position.
Federal offices — campaign finance
- US House, US Senate, and Presidential candidates file with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), not with state systems — FEC candidate search. Filter by office, state, and cycle to narrow the results. Financial disclosures (personal assets and income) for members of Congress and congressional candidates are filed with the US House Clerk or US Senate Office of Public Records, depending on the office.