{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nRichard G. Baker of Johnson City, Tennessee is running as an independent candidate for Tennessee's 1st Congressional District in 2026 [1][3]. 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].\n\nBaker 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 [1][4].\n\n## Background and education\nBaker 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].\n\n## Career\nAfter 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].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Meet the Candidates: Richard Baker for Tennessee's 1st Congressional District \u2013 WJHL](https://www.wjhl.com/news/your-local-election-hq/meet-the-candidates-richard-baker-for-tennessees-1st-congressional-district-seat/)\n- [2] [Tennessee's redrawn congressional districts: A full guide to every candidate running in 2026 \u2013 NewsChannel 5](https://www.newschannel5.com/news/tennessees-redrawn-congressional-districts-a-full-guide-to-every-candidate-running-in-2026)\n- [3] [Congressional candidate Q and A: Richard Baker \u2013 WJHL](https://www.wjhl.com/news/congressional-candidate-q-and-a-richard-baker/)\n","campaigns":[{"contest":"us_house_1","county":"Blount","county_count":16,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"US House District 1"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Richard G.","fullname":"Richard G. Baker","lastname":"Baker","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"us_house_1","contest_title":"US House District 1","county":"Blount","county_count":16,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_house_1","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":null,"party":"I","primary":{"contest":"us_house_1","contest_title":"US House District 1","county":"Blount","county_count":16,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_house_1","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"},"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"us_house_1","office_title":"US House District 1","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"terms":[],"token":"EDYWiIX7Tl"}