{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nTeresa Congioloso is a Republican candidate running for the Tennessee State Senate District 1 seat in the 2026 election [1]. She currently serves as a real estate professional from Dayton, Tennessee [1]. In September 2025, Congioloso officially announced her candidacy to challenge the incumbent, Republican State Senator J. Adam Lowe, who has held the district since 2023 [1][3].\n\nCongioloso describes herself as a conservative, pro-life, and pro-Second Amendment Republican [3]. A central issue in her campaign is opposition to Tennessee\u2019s school voucher program, which she criticized during an address to the Cleveland Kiwanis Club [3]. She stated that she would not have supported the legislation because she believes all children deserve a better education [3].\n\nHer campaign has highlighted her professional background as a 30-year real estate veteran who claims to be in the top one percent of agents worldwide [4]. Congioloso states that she was voted \"Best of the Best\" in real estate for 11 years and received the Dayton Chamber of Commerce\u2019s Businesswoman of the Year award in 2022 [4]. The Athens Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting celebration for her campaign in January 2026 [2].\n\n## Background and education\n\nTeresa Congioloso is a real estate professional from Dayton, Tennessee [1]. She has worked in the industry for 30 years and states that she has been recognized as the top 1 percent of real estate agents worldwide [4]. Her professional accolades include being voted Best of the Best in real estate for 11 years and receiving the Businesswoman of the Year award from the Dayton Chamber of Commerce in 2022 [4].\n\nCongioloso self-describes as a conservative, pro-life, and pro-Second Amendment Republican [3]. Specific details regarding her birth year, upbringing, religion, or formal education are not provided in the available sources.\n\n## Career\n\nTeresa Congioloso is a real estate professional from Dayton, Tennessee, with 30 years of experience in the industry [1]. She has been recognized as a top-performing agent, consistently ranking in the top 1 percent of real estate agents worldwide [4]. Her professional accolades include being voted \"Best of the Best\" in real estate for 11 years and receiving the Dayton Chamber of Commerce\u2019s Businesswoman of the Year award in 2022 [4].\n\nBeyond her commercial success, Congioloso is described as a community advocate with decades of leadership experience in business and public service [4]. In January 2026, she celebrated the opening of her campaign operations with a ribbon-cutting event hosted by the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce [2].\n\n## Office history\n\nTeresa Congioloso has held no prior elected or appointed public office [1]. She is a 30-year real estate professional who states that she has been recognized as the top 1 percent of real estate agents worldwide and voted Best of the Best in real estate for 11 years [4]. In 2022, she was honored as Businesswoman of the Year by the Dayton Chamber of Commerce [4].\n\nCongioloso is running for Tennessee State Senate District 1 in the 2026 Republican primary against incumbent Sen. J. Adam Lowe [1]. She officially announced her candidacy for the seat, which Lowe has represented since 2023 [4]. Congioloso self-describes as a conservative, pro-life, and pro-Second Amendment Republican who opposes Tennessee\u2019s school voucher program [3].\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\n\nCongioloso is a real estate professional based in Dayton, Tennessee, who has worked in the industry for 30 years [1]. She states that she has been recognized consistently as one of the top 1 percent of real estate agents worldwide and was voted \"Best of the Best\" in real estate for 11 years [4]. In 2022, she was honored as Businesswoman of the Year by the Dayton Chamber of Commerce [4].\n\nSpecific details regarding her ownership stakes, sales of businesses, or the precise source of any family wealth are not provided in the available sources. The candidate\u2019s financial disclosure facts are also not detailed in the referenced materials.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Rhea County real estate pro to run for state Senate seat | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2025/sep/23/rhea-county-real-estate-pro-to-run-for-state/)\n[2] [A ribbon cutting was celebrated today for Teresa Congioloso ...](https://www.facebook.com/AthensTNChamber/posts/a-ribbon-cutting-was-celebrated-today-for-teresa-congioloso-for-tn-state-senator/1364140605756422/)\n[3] [Rhea County\u2019s Congioloso mounting state senate race | News | clevelandbanner.com](https://www.clevelandbanner.com/news/rhea-county-s-congioloso-mounting-state-senate-race/article_6797252b-b407-5058-a6f9-fe483af75b8a.html)\n[4] [Congioloso announces bid for State Senate | News | rheaheraldnews.com](https://www.rheaheraldnews.com/news/article_e69c3cdd-dcb6-4c2d-a81c-616e66ed6b49.html)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_senate_001","county":"Bradley","county_count":4,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"TN Senate District 1"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Teresa","fullname":"Teresa Congioloso","lastname":"Congioloso","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_senate_001","contest_title":"TN Senate District 1","county":"Bradley","county_count":4,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_senate_001","office_title":"State Senate District 1","party":"R","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":null,"party":"R","primary":{"contest":"state_senate_001","contest_title":"TN Senate District 1","county":"Bradley","county_count":4,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_senate_001","office_title":"State Senate District 1","party":"R","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"},"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"state_senate_001","office_title":"State Senate District 1","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Teresa Congioloso, a Rhea County real estate professional, announced her candidacy for Tennessee State Senate District 1 in the 2026 Republican primary.","terms":[],"token":"KdE5hRjKd8"}