{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJames W. Reeves, a Johnson City auto mechanic running as an independent, faces incumbent Republican Mayor Joe Grandy in the Aug. 6, 2026 general election \u2014 their third consecutive matchup [1][2].\n\n## Background and education\nReeves 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].\n\n## Career\nReeves owns and operates Reeves Alignment and Auto Care. He describes himself as more fiscally conservative but less socially conservative than his opponents [1].\n\n## Office history\nReeves finished third with 14% in the 2010 Republican primary won by Dan Eldridge [2]; lost to Grandy by 644 votes (51.8%\u201348.2%) 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].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\nAfter 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 [4][5]. 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].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Meet the candidates for Washington County Mayor: James Reeves \u2014 Herald Courier](https://heraldcourier.com/news/meet-the-candidates-for-washington-county-mayor-james-reeves/article_4d7faee9-055b-540b-9957-c9bfe87c1347.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [2022 Washington County, TN mayoral race is a rematch \u2014 WJHL](https://www.wjhl.com/news/your-local-election-hq/2022-washington-county-tn-mayoral-race-is-a-rematch/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [Joe Grandy narrowly wins race for Washington County mayor \u2014 Johnson City Press](https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/news/local-news/joe-grandy-narrowly-wins-race-for-washington-county-mayor/article_04e17bfc-1421-11ed-a494-1f5b604cf011.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[4] ['They have stolen the election': Reeves mulls contesting \u2014 WJHL](https://www.wjhl.com/news/your-local-election-hq/they-have-stolen-the-election-reeves-mulls-contesting-washington-county-mayoral-election-results/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[5] [Former mayoral candidate launches new election fraud claims without providing evidence \u2014 WCYB](https://wcyb.com/news/local/former-mayoral-candidate-launches-new-election-fraud-claims-without-providing-evidence) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[6] [Washington County officials say August election was 'fair and honest' \u2014 Johnson City Press](https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/news/election/washington-county-officials-say-august-election-was-fair-and-honest/article_df32ef52-3852-11ed-9a6c-77f1e167e37d.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[7] [Washington County mayoral candidate Reeves opts not to contest election \u2014 WJHL](https://www.wjhl.com/news/your-local-election-hq/washington-county-mayoral-candidate-reeves-opts-not-to-contest-election/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[8] [Candidate Reeves retracts Ballad donation statement after legal action threatened \u2014 WJHL](https://www.wjhl.com/news/your-local-election-hq/ballad-threatens-lawsuit-over-campaign-donation-allegation-candidate-reeves-issues-retraction/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","county":"Washington","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Mayor"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"JAMES","fullname":"JAMES W. REEVES","lastname":"REEVES","middlename":"W.","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"Washington","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"Washington","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"I","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":"County Mayor","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Johnson City auto mechanic and independent candidate challenging Mayor Joe Grandy for a third time in the Aug. 6, 2026 election.","terms":[],"token":"JOcGAU6i5g"}