{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nHarvey Walden is the Republican nominee for Jackson-Madison County School Board District 4 (Position 1) in the August 6, 2026 election, in a race that includes Democratic candidate Claire Spotts.[1][2] According to his campaign, he serves on the Jackson-Madison County School Board, including as its chairman.[1][3]\n\n## Background and education\nWalden was born and grew up in Haywood County, Tennessee, before moving to Jackson, where he has lived for more than 20 years.[1] He completed EMT training at Jackson State Community College and studied religious studies and business at Pensacola Christian College.[1]\n\n## Career\nWalden has been self-employed for about 35 years and operates a commercial roofing business.[1]\n\n## Family\nWalden and his wife, Darlene, have three children.[1] He served as a Boy Scout scoutmaster for 12 years and has mentored youth through church groups.[1]\n\n## Sources\n[1] [About \u2014 Harvey Walden for School Board](https://www.harveywaldenschoolboard.com/about-4) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[2] [Madison County August 6, 2026 petition candidate list \u2014 Madison County Election Commission](https://madisoncountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/17463/Petition-Candidate-List-August-2026) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[3] [Meet Our School Board \u2014 Jackson-Madison County School System](https://www.jmcss.org/office-of-the-superintendent/meet-our-school-board) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board_district_4","county":"Madison","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"School Board District 4, Position 1"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Harvey","fullname":"Harvey Walden","lastname":"Walden","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board_district_4","contest_title":"School Board District 4, Position 1","county":"Madison","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_school_board_district_4","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_school_board_district_4","contest_title":"School Board District 4, Position 1","county":"Madison","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_school_board_district_4","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_school_board_district_4","office_title":"School Board District 4, Position 1","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Republican school-board candidate and JMCSS board chairman; a longtime Jackson resident and commercial-roofing business owner.","terms":[],"token":"J7XCGOBB4F"}