{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nPatrick R. Ray is the Republican nominee for DeKalb County Mayor in the August 6, 2026 county general election, running against Democrat Beth Pafford and independent Brandon Bates to succeed retiring County Mayor Matt Adcock [1]. Ray was unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary [2]. Announcing his campaign in August 2025, he said that while his law-enforcement career is \"nearing the end,\" his \"desire for public service has not,\" and listed economic and workforce development, education, solid waste management, public safety, growth planning, and government efficiency among his priorities [3].\n\n## Office history\nRay was first elected DeKalb County Sheriff in 2006 and is completing his fifth and final term as sheriff, which ends August 31, 2026 [3][4]. The next county mayor takes office September 1, 2026 [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [New County Mayor and Sheriff to be Elected August 6 \u2014 WJLE Radio](https://www.wjle.com/new-county-mayor-and-sheriff-to-be-elected-august-6-early-voting-begins-friday-july-17/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Stage Set for May 5th DeKalb Republican and Democratic Primaries \u2014 WJLE Radio](https://www.wjle.com/stage-set-for-may-5th-dekalb-republican-and-democratic-primaries-with-only-one-contested-district-race/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Patrick Ray Announces Bid for DeKalb County Mayor in 2026 \u2014 WJLE Radio](https://www.wjle.com/patrick-ray-anounces-bid-for-dekalb-county-mayor-in-2026/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [DeKalb County Election Commission \u2014 Elected Officials](https://www.dekalbelections.com/elected-officials/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","county":"Dekalb","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Mayor"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"PATRICK","fullname":"PATRICK R. RAY","lastname":"RAY","middlename":"R.","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"Dekalb","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"Dekalb","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":"County Mayor","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Republican nominee for DeKalb County Mayor; county sheriff since 2006, completing his fifth term and not seeking re-election as sheriff.","terms":[],"token":"K39k7UhPZG"}