{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nCharles Van Morgan is an independent candidate running for Governor of Tennessee in the 2026 election.[1] He officially declared his candidacy for the general election scheduled for November 3, 2026.[1] The filing deadline for the race was March 10, 2026, with primaries held on August 6, 2026.[2] Morgan maintains a campaign website at www.drove.com/campaign/5c6ba662cb9bc70001cece14.[3]\n\nDuring his campaign, Morgan faced legal issues in Hamilton County. In May 2023, he was arrested at the Hamilton County Election Commission for allegedly harassing voters, screaming about politics, and refusing to cooperate with police officers.[4] He was charged with interference and resisting arrest.[4][5] These charges were later dropped by Hamilton County court on June 26, 2023.[5]\n\n## Background and education\n\nCharles Van Morgan was born in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia [1]. He earned a bachelor's degree from Tennessee Wesleyan College in 1996, followed by a graduate degree from the University of Tennessee in 2001 [1]. Morgan later obtained a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the Nashville School of Law in 2015 [1].\n\n## Career\n\nCharles Van Morgan earned a bachelor\u2019s degree from Tennessee Wesleyan College in 1996, a graduate degree from the University of Tennessee in 2001, and a Juris Doctor from the Nashville School of Law in 2015 [1]. He is licensed as an attorney [1].\n\nProfessionally, Morgan has owned a logistics and transportation business [1]. He also served as a police officer and trooper [1]. Specifically, he was a nine-year veteran of the Tennessee Department of Safety who served as a trooper with the Tennessee Highway Patrol [7]. In November 2015, Morgan was fired from his position after leaving the scene of a fiery crash in North Knox County that killed driver Gordon Kyle Anito; he argued that he had to make a quick decision to save the life of the driver [7]. A judicial review upheld the termination of his employment by the Tennessee Board of Appeals and trial court [6].\n\n## Office history\n\nCharles Van Morgan is an independent candidate who declared his candidacy for Governor of Tennessee in the general election scheduled for November 3, 2026 [1]. He self-describes as a previous candidate for Governor of Tennessee [3].\n\nIn June 2023, Morgan was arrested at a Hamilton County voting location for interfering with voters, an incident that involved him screaming about politics and cursing at individuals outside the Hamilton County Election Commission [4]. Resisting arrest charges against him in this matter were subsequently dropped by Hamilton County court on June 26, 2023 [5].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\n\nIn June 2023, Charles Morgan was arrested at a Hamilton County voting location for allegedly interfering with voters [4]. Police reports state that Morgan was screaming about politics, cursing at voters, and telling them they did not have the right to vote [4]. When Chattanooga police attempted to arrest him, he refused to cooperate and stated he would sue officers and have them fired [4]. Morgan subsequently posted an account of his encounter with a Hamilton County Election Commission worker on his Facebook page [4].\n\nThe resisting arrest charges against Morgan in this incident were dropped by Hamilton County court records on June 26, 2023 [5].\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\n\nCharles Van Morgan\u2019s professional background includes ownership of a logistics and transportation business [1]. He also has experience working as a police officer and trooper [1].\n\nSpecific details regarding his family wealth source, personal ownership stakes in businesses, sales of those businesses, or significant financial-disclosure facts are not provided in the available sources.\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [Charles Morgan (Tennessee) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Charles_Morgan_(Tennessee))\n[2] [Tennessee gubernatorial election, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Tennessee_gubernatorial_election,_2026)\n[3] [Vote-USA | Charles Van Morgan | Previous Candidate for Governor, Tennessee](https://vote-usa.org/Intro.aspx?State=TN&Id=TNVanMorganCharles)\n[4] [Tennessee gubernatorial candidate arrested for interfering with voters in Chattanooga | Local News | local3news.com](https://www.local3news.com/local-news/tennessee-gubernatorial-candidate-arrested-for-interfering-with-voters-in-chattanooga/article_d18be310-547f-11ed-a7ad-effb7ce7a84c.html)\n[5] [Charges against former independent Tenn. gubernatorial candidate dropped in Hamilton Co.](https://newschannel9.com/amp/news/local/independent-tennessee-governor-candidate-arrested-at-hamilton-county-voting-location)\n[6] [Charles Van Morgan v. The Tennessee Civil Service Commission, et al | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts](https://www.tncourts.gov/courts/court-appeals/opinions/2017/02/28/charles-van-morgan-v-tennessee-civil-service-commission-et)\n[7] [Tenn. Trooper Fights for Job After Leaving Pursuit Wreck | Officer](https://www.officer.com/investigations/news/10627112/tenn-trooper-fights-for-job-after-leaving-pursuit-wreck)","campaigns":[],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Charles","fullname":"Charles Van Morgan","lastname":"Morgan","middlename":"Van","office_history":[],"summary":"Charles Van Morgan is an independent candidate for Governor of Tennessee who previously served as a state trooper and holds degrees from Tennessee Wesleyan College and Nashville School of Law.","terms":[],"token":"QCxmz1hU0O"}