JAMES W. REEVES

Current office and 2026 campaign

James W. Reeves, a Johnson City auto mechanic running as an independent, faces incumbent Republican Mayor Joe Grandy in the Aug. 6, 2026 general election — their third consecutive matchup ¹².

Background and education

Reeves served in the U.S. Air Force and worked as an auto mechanic for 30 years before opening Reeves Alignment and Auto Care in Johnson City, which he has run for more than six years ¹.

Career

Reeves owns and operates Reeves Alignment and Auto Care. He describes himself as more fiscally conservative but less socially conservative than his opponents ¹.

Office history

Reeves finished third with 14% in the 2010 Republican primary won by Dan Eldridge ²; lost to Grandy by 644 votes (51.8%–48.2%) in the 2018 general election ²; and lost to Grandy again by 139 votes out of 10,765 cast in the August 2022 general election ³.

Documented disputes and controversies

After the 2022 loss, Reeves said "they have stolen the election," alleging voting-machine tampering, without identifying who he meant; his statistical argument assumed every voter at a given machine voted identically, an assumption election officials disputed ⁴⁵. County election officials called the vote "fair and honest" and pointed to machine logs documenting power-on/off times ⁶. Reeves ultimately did not file a legal contest, telling reporters he could not find a regional attorney willing to represent him ⁷. Separately, in a 2022 campaign interview, Reeves said Mayor Grandy "takes money from Ballad" and other companies; Ballad Health's acting general counsel sent a letter demanding retraction, noting Ballad is a not-for-profit that does not donate to candidates. Reeves retracted the statement the same day, clarifying he meant individual Ballad employees, not the corporation ⁸.

Sources