{"age":69,"biography":"Gary D. Behler is a Republican candidate running for re-election as Hamilton County Juvenile Court Clerk in Tennessee [7]. He first won the office in 2010, defeating incumbent Democrat Ron Swafford [11]. As of the May 2026 election cycle, Behler has formally announced his candidacy for another term [7].\n\nDuring his tenure, Behler has focused on modernizing the Juvenile Court Clerk\u2019s Office through technology. He oversaw a transition from paper-based processes to an electronic workflow system, becoming the first State Court Clerk\u2019s Office in Tennessee to be fully electronic according to the County Technical Assistance Services [7]. His office digitized over 9.7 million pages of court records [7]. In February 2018, the office was recognized as the first fully electronic state court clerk\u2019s office in the state, and an e-Filing system implemented in 2022 became one of the first to serve juvenile courts in Tennessee [8].\n\nBehler has also emphasized fiscal responsibility and efficiency. Campaign officials state that he has reduced the office operating budget each year for 15 years and achieved zero audit findings since taking office [7]. He was named the 2023 Tennessee State Court Clerk of the Year by the Tennessee Association of State Court Clerks [7].\n\nBeyond his elected role, Behler serves as Chairman of the Hamilton County Children\u2019s Advocacy Center and is a board member for the County Officials Association of Tennessee (COAT) [7]. He previously served as president and legislative chair of the Tennessee State Court Clerks Association [7]. He was appointed to the Tennessee Human Rights Commission by Governor Bill Haslam and reappointed by Governor Bill Lee [7].\n\nBehler holds a B.S. and M.S. in criminal justice from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), graduating Magna Cum Laude [7]. He has served as an adjunct professor of criminal justice at UTC for 36 years [7]. He is a Certified Public Administrator (CPA) and a Certified County Financial Officer (CCFO) [7].\n\nBehler resides in Georgetown with his wife, Jamie, and their dogs [7].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_election_in_Tennessee,_2026)\n- [3] [Candidate Lists | Tennessee Secretary of State](https://sos.tn.gov/elections/2026-candidate-lists)\n- [4] [sample ballot](https://elect.hamiltontn.gov/Portals/12/HTML/RepSample.html)\n- [7] [Juvenile Court Clerk Gary Behler Announces Re-Election Campaign - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2026/2/5/514352/Juvenile-Court-Clerk-Gary-Behler.aspx)\n- [8] [Gary Behler Named County Officials Association State Court Clerk Of The Year - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2023/12/18/479893/Gary-Behler-Named-County-Officials.aspx)\n- [9] [Gary Behler To Seek Re-Election As Hamilton County Juvenile Court Clerk - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2013/11/21/264025/Gary-Behler-To-Seek-Re-Election-As.aspx)\n- [10] [Record breaking: Hamilton County Juvenile Court leads the state in electronic conversion | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2020/jun/30/record-breaking-hamiltcounty-juvenile-court-l/)\n- [11] [Behler Picks Up For Juvenile Court Clerk; Boyd, Stiner Pick Up For Commission Seats - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2010/2/15/169004/Behler-Picks-Up-For-Juvenile-Court.aspx)","birthdate":"Wed, 06 Mar 1957 00:00:00 GMT","campaigns":[{"contest":"juvenile_court_clerk","county":"Hamilton","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"juvenile_court_clerk"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Gary","fullname":"Gary D. Behler","lastname":"Behler","middlename":"D.","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"juvenile_court_clerk","contest_title":"juvenile_court_clerk","county":"Hamilton","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-05-05","office_county":"hamilton","office_key":"juvenile_court_clerk","office_title":"Juvenile Court Clerk","party":"R","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"}],"county":"hamilton","cycles":[{"general":null,"party":"R","primary":{"contest":"juvenile_court_clerk","contest_title":"juvenile_court_clerk","county":"Hamilton","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-05-05","office_county":"hamilton","office_key":"juvenile_court_clerk","office_title":"Juvenile Court Clerk","party":"R","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"},"term":null,"year":2026},{"general":null,"party":null,"primary":null,"term":{"county":"hamilton","electiondate":"2022-08-04","office_county":"hamilton","office_key":"juvenile_court_clerk","office_title":"Juvenile Court Clerk","party":null,"state":"TN","term_end":"2026-09-01","term_start":"2022-09-01"},"year":2022}],"office_key":"juvenile_court_clerk","office_title":"Juvenile Court Clerk","state":"TN","terms":[{"county":"hamilton","electiondate":"2022-08-04","office_county":"hamilton","office_key":"juvenile_court_clerk","office_title":"Juvenile Court Clerk","party":null,"state":"TN","term_end":"2026-09-01","term_start":"2022-09-01"}]}],"summary":"Gary D. Behler, the Republican incumbent Hamilton County Juvenile Court Clerk since 2010, is seeking re-election in 2026.","terms":[{"county":"hamilton","electiondate":"2022-08-04","office":"juvenile_court_clerk","state":"TN","term_end":"2026-09-01","term_start":"2022-09-01","title":"Juvenile Court Clerk"}],"token":"KnQ5wRDMNh"}