{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nGarrett Holt is the Republican nominee for Knox County Commission At-Large Seat 11 in the August 6, 2026 general election, running to succeed Commissioner Kim Frazier and facing Democrat Vivian Underwood Shipe and independent David Velarde [1][2]. It is his second consecutive commission bid [1][2]. His priorities center on roads and infrastructure - halting a roughly 1%-a-year decline in road quality, and congestion fixes such as roundabouts and intelligent traffic signals - plus first-responder and county-employee pay, comprehensive land-use planning, and review of the Advance Knox recommendations [1][2]. \"The mindset isn't, 'Hey, am I voting red or blue?'\" he told Compass Knox [2].\n\n## Background and education\nHolt, in his early 30s (reported as 31 in April 2026 and 32 in the general-election guide), is a lifelong Knoxville resident living west of Rocky Hill [2][1]. He was valedictorian of West High School's class of 2012 and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Tennessee with a degree in accounting and international business [2].\n\n## Career\nHolt has worked in public accounting and spent about nine years in medical diagnostic-equipment sales, along with real-estate ventures; he is now a medical student at Lincoln Memorial University with plans to become a physician, and is also a small-business owner and bodybuilder [1][2].\n\n## Office history\nHolt ran for the nonpartisan 6th District Knoxville City Council seat in 2021 [2]. In 2024 he won the GOP primary for the 4th District County Commission seat with two-thirds of the vote but lost the general election to Democrat Shane Jackson by about one percentage point [2]. He has served as an appointed member of the Board of Zoning Appeals and on the Public Building Authority board, and is involved with Family Promise of Knoxville [2].\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\nHis campaign reported raising $48,475 and spending $32,747 in the first quarter of 2026 [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Knox County Commission At-Large Seat 11 voter's guide (Knox News)](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/knox-county-commission-large-seat-080720824.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Primary 2026: Commission At-Large Seat 11 (Compass Knox)](https://compassknox.com/2026/04/17/primary-2026-commission-at-large-seat-11/) - accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_at_large_seat_11","county":"Knox","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Commission At-Large, Seat 11"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Garrett","fullname":"Garrett Holt","lastname":"Holt","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_at_large_seat_11","contest_title":"County Commission At-Large, Seat 11","county":"Knox","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_at_large_seat_11","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_at_large_seat_11","contest_title":"County Commission At-Large, Seat 11","county":"Knox","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_at_large_seat_11","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission_at_large_seat_11","office_title":"County Commission At-Large, Seat 11","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Republican nominee for Knox County Commission At-Large Seat 11; UT accounting grad and medical student in his second commission run, focused on roads and infrastructure.","terms":[],"token":"FZVgY0vleI"}