{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJoseph \"Joe\" Graham is the Republican incumbent Hamilton County commissioner for District 11, covering Lookout Mountain, Lookout Valley, St. Elmo, Alton Park, East Lake, part of Missionary Ridge, and a small section of Brainerd [1]. He ran unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary and is seeking a fourth term on the commission [2]. He advances to the August 6, 2026 general election in a rematch against Democrat Montrell Besley, a small-business owner who also ran unopposed in his party's primary [1][3]. Graham defeated Besley by a few dozen votes in their first matchup in 2022 [1].\n\n## Background and education\nGraham, 60, has been married to his high school sweetheart for more than 36 years; they have four children and three grandchildren [1].\n\n## Office history\nGraham was first elected to the Hamilton County Commission in 2010, representing a different seat covering parts of Red Bank, North Chattanooga and Lookout Valley, and served two terms before losing to Democrat David Sharpe in 2018 [1]. He returned to the commission by winning the newly drawn District 11 seat in 2022 [1][3].\n\n## Career\nGraham is a local businessman and president of the Lookout Valley Neighborhood Association [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Commissioner Joe Graham Seeking Re-Election To Continue Serving Hamilton County District 11 - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2025/11/25/511780/Commissioner-Joe-Graham-Seeking.aspx) - accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Who's on the ballot? Hamilton County Commission to see six contested races in August - Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2026/jun/27/whos-on-the-ballot-hamilton-county-commission-to/) - accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [Joe Graham, District 11 Commissioner - Hamilton County Government](https://www.hamiltontn.gov/District11.aspx) - accessed 2026-07-06","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_11","county":"Hamilton","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"County Commission District 11"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Joseph","fullname":"Joseph Graham","lastname":"Graham","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_11","contest_title":"County Commission District 11","county":"Hamilton","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-05-05","office_county":"hamilton","office_key":"county_commission_district_11","office_title":"County Commission District 11","party":"R","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"}],"county":"hamilton","cycles":[{"general":null,"party":"R","primary":{"contest":"county_commission_district_11","contest_title":"County Commission District 11","county":"Hamilton","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-05-05","office_county":"hamilton","office_key":"county_commission_district_11","office_title":"County Commission District 11","party":"R","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"},"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission_district_11","office_title":"County Commission District 11","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Republican Hamilton County commissioner for District 11 since 2022; unopposed in the 2026 primary, seeking a fourth term against Democrat Montrell Besley in August.","terms":[],"token":"OHcGXnEhRi"}