{"biography":"Dewey Gordon Bryan is a Democratic candidate running for election to the U.S. House of Representatives in Tennessee\u2019s 8th Congressional District [1]. He is on the ballot in the Democratic primary scheduled for August 6, 2026 [1]. The general election for this seat is set for November 3, 2026 [1]. Bryan is challenging incumbent Republican David Kustoff [12].\n\nBryan served in the U.S. Navy from 1975 to 1990 [1]. He was a designated Naval Aviator for 14 years (1976\u20131990) and completed 329 carrier arrested landings, including 95 at night [1]. Bryan graduated from York High School and earned a bachelor\u2019s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1975 as part of a four-year NROTC scholarship program [1].\n\nProfessionally, Bryan worked as an airline pilot for 35 years, retiring from FedEx in August 2018 after joining in October 1983 [1]. He served as a Captain for 28 of those 35 years [1]. Additionally, he served as an FAA-designated simulator instructor, proficiency check airman, and line check airman for the Airbus A300/310 aircraft for 13 years [1].\n\nIn his 2026 campaign, Bryan has focused on economic issues. In a Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey, he stated, \u201c\u2018IT\u2019S THE ECONOMY, STUPID\u2019. Pretty much sums up the complete economic mess our current representative has helped legislate us into,\u201d referring to Representative Kustoff [1].\n\nBryan is one of four Democratic candidates in the primary field for Tennessee\u2019s 8th District, alongside Jordan Hinders, Heidi Kuhn, and Leonard Perkins [12]. The redistricting process recently divided Shelby County among Congressional Districts 5, 8, and 9 [12]. As of the latest reporting, no FEC financial filings have been recorded for Bryan in the 2026 cycle [22].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [Dewey Gordon Bryan](https://ballotpedia.org/Dewey_Gordon_Bryan)\n[13] [August 2026 Primaries | Here are the candidates running in Tennessee's redrawn congressional districts | localmemphis.com](https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/politics/elections/august-2026-primaries-here-are-the-candidates-running-in-tennessees-redrawn-congressional-districts/522-80897870-f7eb-4f36-86d9-0b27624c5505)\n[16] [Dewey Gordon Bryan | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/dewey-gordon-bryan)\n[22] [BRYAN, DEWEY GORDON \u2014 U.S. House \u2014 TN-08 | The Candidate](https://thecandidate.com/candidates/dewey-gordon-bryan-tn-house-08)","campaigns":[{"contest":"us_house_8","county":"Benton","county_count":23,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"US House District 8"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Dewey Gordon","fullname":"Dewey Gordon Bryan","lastname":"Bryan","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"us_house_8","contest_title":"US House District 8","county":"Benton","county_count":23,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_house_8","office_title":null,"party":"D","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":null,"party":"D","primary":{"contest":"us_house_8","contest_title":"US House District 8","county":"Benton","county_count":23,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_house_8","office_title":null,"party":"D","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"},"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"us_house_8","office_title":"US House District 8","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Dewey Gordon Bryan is a Democratic candidate and retired FedEx pilot running for Tennessee's 8th Congressional District in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"LwT33FmTJB"}