{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nAren Ragsdale is the incumbent Lewis County Commissioner for District 6 and appears on the county's official Board of Commissioners roster [1]. He has formally announced that he is running for re-election as a District 6 commissioner on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot [2]. He is a registered Republican running as an Independent; he has said his current employment prohibits him from running as a partisan candidate, which is why he appears as an Independent [2].\n\n## Background and education\nRagsdale is a 2008 graduate of Lewis County High School and a 2016 graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin [2].\n\n## Career\nRagsdale is employed by the State of Tennessee and is an assistant volleyball coach at Creek Wood High School [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [County Commission - Lewis County Government](https://www.lewiscountytn.com/county-commission) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Commissioner Ragsdale Requests Your Vote for Re-Election - Lewis County Herald](https://www.lewisherald.com/story/2026/05/21/news/commissioner-ragsdale-requests-your-vote-for-re-election/12243.html) - accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_6","county":"Lewis","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Commission District 6"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Aren","fullname":"Aren Ragsdale","lastname":"Ragsdale","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_6","contest_title":"County Commission District 6","county":"Lewis","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_6","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_6","contest_title":"County Commission District 6","county":"Lewis","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_6","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"I","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission_district_6","office_title":"County Commission District 6","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Incumbent Lewis County Commissioner for District 6, seeking re-election as an Independent. Lewis County High and UT Martin graduate; works for the State of Tennessee and coaches volleyball.","terms":[],"token":"FTMozdZcCk"}