{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nRick Carver is the incumbent Blount County commissioner for District 5, Seat B [1][2]. He filed for re-election as a Republican, drew no primary opponent, and faces Democrat Jenny Jordan in the Aug. 6, 2026 general election [1][3].\n\n## Background and education\nCarver has been open about a serious health event: in August 2020, while serving as commissioner, he received a kidney transplant at Emory Transplant Center in Atlanta after his kidney function declined to about 10% following an undiagnosed blood clot in his renal vein in the early 1990s. The donor, Alcoa Police Officer Joey Beasley, gave a kidney through a paired-donation exchange despite not being a direct match. Carver, then 53, called it \"a new lease on life\" [4].\n\n## Career\nCarver works as a respiratory therapist at Blount Memorial Hospital [4].\n\n## Office history\nCarver is the incumbent for District 5, Seat B, term running Sept. 1, 2022 \u2013 Aug. 31, 2026 [5]. He won re-election in the May 2022 Republican primary, defeating Thomas Antkow 794\u2013182 [6]. He serves on the county's Animal Center Advisory Board, Beer Board, Blount 250 Committee, Commission Rules Committee, Commission Workshop Committee, Human Resources Committee, Insurance Committee, and I.T. Committee [2].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nCarver abstained on a split (11-6-1) commission vote in March 2023 nominating Amber Krupacs to the Blount Memorial Hospital board, part of a broader hospital-governance dispute [7]. He also abstained on the commission's May 2023 final-reading vote (17-2-1-1) amending the 1945 act governing Blount Memorial Hospital, which gave the county explicit authority to contract with and remove hospital managers [8].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Blount County Election Commission, \"May 5, 2026 Petitions\"](https://www.blounttn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/29506/May-5-2026-Petitions-PDF) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Blount County, TN, \"Commissioners\"](https://www.blounttn.gov/835/Commissioners) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [The Daily Times, \"Blount County primary fields are set\"](https://www.thedailytimes.com/news/blount-county-primary-fields-are-set/article_c928c6a7-a486-43e4-823e-3028b38b0891.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[4] [The Daily Times, \"Kidney transplant goes well for Blount County Commissioner Rick Carver,\" Aug. 31, 2020](https://www.thedailytimes.com/news/kidney-transplant-goes-well-for-blount-county-commissioner-rick-carver/article_7e4496a0-66ba-5476-9b14-5f30d24c8c1a.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[5] Blount County, TN, \"Commissioners Contact Info\" (term record) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[6] [The Daily Times, \"Incumbents secure strong primary victories in contested Blount County Commission races\"](https://www.thedailytimes.com/news/incumbents-secure-strong-primary-victories-in-contested-blount-county-commission-races/article_f8d0ce43-a8a1-5c48-a0bb-a0f3f89cd939.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[7] [The Daily Times, \"County votes on Blount Memorial board appointment, discusses hospital controversy\"](https://www.thedailytimes.com/news/county-votes-on-blount-memorial-board-appointment-discusses-hospital-controversy/article_1401d7ea-c8fc-11ed-96b1-ef6d983c8091.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[8] [The Daily Times, \"Blount County Commission OKs change to controversial hospital act on final reading\"](https://www.thedailytimes.com/mdt/blount-county-commission-oks-change-to-controversial-hospital-act-on-final-reading/article_5ef903b2-f5e9-11ed-9e71-472fa86cc6cc.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_5_seat_b","county":"Blount","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Commission District 5, Seat B"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Rick","fullname":"Rick Carver","lastname":"Carver","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_5_seat_b","contest_title":"County Commission District 5, Seat B","county":"Blount","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_5_seat_b","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_5_seat_b","contest_title":"County Commission District 5, Seat B","county":"Blount","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_5_seat_b","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission_district_5_seat_b","office_title":"County Commission District 5, Seat B","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Republican incumbent Blount County commissioner for District 5, Seat B; a respiratory therapist by profession, seeking re-election against Democrat Jenny Jordan in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"JETgbA8lB0"}