{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nGary Stidham is a Sullivan County Commissioner and Republican candidate seeking the Tennessee House of Representatives District 2 seat in the 2026 election [1][3]. He filed paperwork to run for the district, which is currently held by Republican Representative Bud Hulsey, who announced his retirement at the end of his term [1][3]. Stidham praised Hulsey\u2019s service, noting his passion for the conservative cause and integrity [3].\n\nStidham self-describes as a U.S. Navy veteran with a 20-year career during which he managed the maintenance of nuclear submarine reactors and led nearly 300 personnel [1][2]. He holds a Top Secret Clearance and served as an American Legion District Commander, holding 17 posts and representing 62,000 veterans [2]. Additionally, he established Sullivan County's Veterans Service Office and spearheaded the creation of a Veterans Memorial Park [2].\n\nPrior to his current political role, Stidham spent 22 years as a Junior ROTC instructor and taught high school government [2]. He was raised in the coalfields of Southwest Virginia and married his high school sweetheart, Molly, who retired after working in Christian education for 30 years [2]. The couple worships at Lighthouse Church [2].\n\n## Background and education\n\nGary Stidham was raised in the coalfields of Southwest Virginia [2]. He married his high school sweetheart, Molly, who retired after working in Christian education for 30 years [2]. The couple worships at Lighthouse Church [2].\n\nStidham served a 20-year career in the U.S. Navy, where he managed the maintenance of nuclear submarine reactors and led nearly 300 personnel [1][2]. His military service included holding a Top Secret Clearance [2].\n\n## Career\n\nGary Stidham served a 20-year career in the U.S. Navy, during which he managed the maintenance of nuclear submarine reactors and led nearly 300 personnel [1][2]. He held a Top Secret Clearance while in service [2]. Following his military service, Stidham worked as an educator for more than two decades, serving as a Junior ROTC instructor for 22 years and teaching high school government [1][2].\n\nStidham is a veteran of the American Legion, where he served as a former District Commander holding 17 posts and representing 62,000 veterans [2]. He established Sullivan County's Veterans Service Office and spearheaded the creation of the Veterans Memorial Park [2].\n\n## Office history\n\nGary Stidham served as a Sullivan County Commissioner [1]. He is a U.S. Navy veteran who spent two decades managing the maintenance of nuclear submarine reactors and leading nearly 300 personnel [1]. During his military career, he held a Top Secret Clearance and led 290 personnel [2].\n\nStidham served as a JROTC instructor for 22 years and taught high school government [2]. He also has more than 20 years of experience teaching Junior ROTC and high school subjects [1].\n\nIn the past, Stidham held leadership roles within the American Legion, serving as a former District Commander with oversight of 17 posts and 62,000 veterans [2]. He established Sullivan County's Veterans Service Office and spearheaded the creation of the Veterans Memorial Park [2].\n\nStidham announced his bid for the Tennessee House District 2 seat, which was then held by Republican Rep. Bud Hulsey [1]. Hulsey had announced that he would retire after his term [3]. Stidham picked up the paperwork to run for the District 2 seat as a Republican [3].\n\n## Family\n\nStidham was raised in the coalfields of Southwest Virginia [2]. He married his high school sweetheart, Molly, who retired after working in Christian education for 30 years [2]. The couple worships at Lighthouse Church [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Sullivan County Commissioner Gary Stidham to run for District 2 seat - Electric 94.9](https://www.electric949.com/sullivan-county-commissioner-gary-stidham-to-run-for-district-2-seat/)\n[2] [Stidham for Tennessee | stidham means stewardship | Tennessee, USA](https://www.stidhamfortn.com/)\n[3] [Stidham running for TN House District 2 seat](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/stidham-running-tn-house-district-034338158.html)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_002","county":"Sullivan","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"TN House District 2"}],"cf_filings":[{"county":"sullivan","displayname":"Stidham, Gary","documents":[{"datesubmitted":"04/10/26","documentid":"E6286941-2F08-4F7A-8CE1-85D971F5731B","documentname":"1st Quarter 2026","documentnameid":["E6286941-2F08-4F7A-8CE1-85D971F5731B","1st Quarter 2026"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"02/04/26","documentid":"E7848EB7-78B4-43E7-9CB7-069631901324","documentname":"Year-End Supplemental 15 Jan 2026","documentnameid":["E7848EB7-78B4-43E7-9CB7-069631901324","Year-End Supplemental 15 Jan 2026"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"07/15/25","documentid":"46DB4215-8AC0-41AD-9E71-04D66133EA4A","documentname":"Mid-Year Supplemental 2025","documentnameid":["46DB4215-8AC0-41AD-9E71-04D66133EA4A","Mid-Year Supplemental 2025"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"01/31/25","documentid":"F8B50F50-D555-4ED8-BF9E-35614E982796","documentname":"2024 Year End Supplemental","documentnameid":["F8B50F50-D555-4ED8-BF9E-35614E982796","2024 Year End Supplemental"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"01/29/25","documentid":"C224D752-6F4A-41FA-BF38-203F895AFBC2","documentname":"Primary 2026","documentnameid":["C224D752-6F4A-41FA-BF38-203F895AFBC2","Primary 2026"],"documenttype":"Appointment of Political Treasurer","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"07/15/24","documentid":"B428BF08-4568-4189-B4DB-7C69095BDE00","documentname":"Mid-Year 2024","documentnameid":["B428BF08-4568-4189-B4DB-7C69095BDE00","Mid-Year 2024"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"01/28/24","documentid":"7B78B455-24C9-4987-88A1-6558FDCD85B4","documentname":"End of Year Supplemental 2023","documentnameid":["7B78B455-24C9-4987-88A1-6558FDCD85B4","End of Year Supplemental 2023"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"01/23/23","documentid":"DAE0C53D-FD44-4A1A-B024-CD4404E76931","documentname":"4th Quarter 2022","documentnameid":["DAE0C53D-FD44-4A1A-B024-CD4404E76931","4th Quarter 2022"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":"AUGUST 4, 2022 STATE & FEDERAL PRIMARY & COUNTY GENERAL"},{"datesubmitted":"10/11/22","documentid":"7ACE7BD5-BA9A-4B0E-A4D6-EFE5C6870E7E","documentname":"3rd Quarter 2022","documentnameid":["7ACE7BD5-BA9A-4B0E-A4D6-EFE5C6870E7E","3rd Quarter 2022"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"07/28/22","documentid":"90A0D0A8-2E8C-4A5A-B4C7-45F206CEA998","documentname":"Pre-General 2022","documentnameid":["90A0D0A8-2E8C-4A5A-B4C7-45F206CEA998","Pre-General 2022"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"07/11/22","documentid":"2E026FC9-4046-4765-95D4-6670D9BCD56F","documentname":"2nd Quarter 2022","documentnameid":["2E026FC9-4046-4765-95D4-6670D9BCD56F","2nd Quarter 2022"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"04/26/22","documentid":"D2A50268-9CDE-4939-A9C5-3011CB324356","documentname":"Pre Primary 2022","documentnameid":["D2A50268-9CDE-4939-A9C5-3011CB324356","Pre Primary 2022"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"04/11/22","documentid":"48832E77-6C08-4BE6-AAF3-20CBC197E4C7","documentname":"1st Quarter 2022","documentnameid":["48832E77-6C08-4BE6-AAF3-20CBC197E4C7","1st Quarter 2022"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"02/05/22","documentid":"62CF8BCE-4CA0-48DA-946E-3AC55B8B0EC4","documentname":"Year End Supplemental","documentnameid":["62CF8BCE-4CA0-48DA-946E-3AC55B8B0EC4","Year End Supplemental"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"01/18/22","documentid":"1FCAD47C-17C8-4DE1-A21B-A51770CEEAF5","documentname":"Treasurer Appointment 2022","documentnameid":["1FCAD47C-17C8-4DE1-A21B-A51770CEEAF5","Treasurer Appointment 2022"],"documenttype":"Treasurer Appointment","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"07/17/21","documentid":"201F16B5-602C-4609-ACF3-7D8FCD8D19F5","documentname":"Mid Year Supplemental","documentnameid":["201F16B5-602C-4609-ACF3-7D8FCD8D19F5","Mid Year Supplemental"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"02/03/21","documentid":"6172E9D4-BE9C-41F2-AEC3-73B6A378B96F","documentname":"Year-End Campaign Financial","documentnameid":["6172E9D4-BE9C-41F2-AEC3-73B6A378B96F","Year-End Campaign Financial"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"07/20/20","documentid":"4A0A5532-CD1A-4D53-94D3-695CD44FF7E1","documentname":"Mid Year 2020","documentnameid":["4A0A5532-CD1A-4D53-94D3-695CD44FF7E1","Mid Year 2020"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"01/28/20","documentid":"34F28679-E6CE-4E26-84C5-6E266CF5B21F","documentname":"Year End Supplemental","documentnameid":["34F28679-E6CE-4E26-84C5-6E266CF5B21F","Year End Supplemental"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"07/17/19","documentid":"AC47E94F-2E03-449B-AF4C-16841A10DF20","documentname":"Mid Year ","documentnameid":["AC47E94F-2E03-449B-AF4C-16841A10DF20","Mid Year "],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"01/23/19","documentid":"6B014BD9-864C-4194-85C7-65B7A9DFCC8A","documentname":"4th Quarter Financial Disclosure","documentnameid":["6B014BD9-864C-4194-85C7-65B7A9DFCC8A","4th Quarter Financial Disclosure"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"10/10/18","documentid":"FB23149F-AF09-44BC-BCC3-63FABC6CA1F1","documentname":"3rd Campaign Financial Disclosure","documentnameid":["FB23149F-AF09-44BC-BCC3-63FABC6CA1F1","3rd Campaign Financial Disclosure"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"07/26/18","documentid":"6C9E7A14-FE3D-447E-A20C-7FCE61E30B2F","documentname":"Pre-General Campaign Financial Disclosure","documentnameid":["6C9E7A14-FE3D-447E-A20C-7FCE61E30B2F","Pre-General Campaign Financial Disclosure"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"07/10/18","documentid":"422B719F-A921-4434-9C30-C01CE50D535E","documentname":"2nd QuarterCampaign Financial Disclosure","documentnameid":["422B719F-A921-4434-9C30-C01CE50D535E","2nd QuarterCampaign Financial Disclosure"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"04/24/18","documentid":"A03136B3-8FA8-48B1-959B-4904C314A440","documentname":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","documentnameid":["A03136B3-8FA8-48B1-959B-4904C314A440","Campaign Financial Disclosure"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"04/10/18","documentid":"DEC7524E-CE38-4F2E-AAE4-75CEB165304A","documentname":"First Quarter 2018 Campaign Financial Disclosure","documentnameid":["DEC7524E-CE38-4F2E-AAE4-75CEB165304A","First Quarter 2018 Campaign Financial Disclosure"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"02/23/18","documentid":"1228A0B8-8496-4C5D-A8B2-FFD53993E46E","documentname":"Treasurer Appointment","documentnameid":["1228A0B8-8496-4C5D-A8B2-FFD53993E46E","Treasurer Appointment"],"documenttype":"Treasurer Appointment","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"01/30/18","documentid":"7795C598-3959-48DC-997D-31D023804466","documentname":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","documentnameid":["7795C598-3959-48DC-997D-31D023804466","Campaign Financial Disclosure"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"11/16/17","documentid":"636BAD6C-AABE-4382-A5F9-BE1C192D45D7","documentname":"Treasurer Appointment","documentnameid":["636BAD6C-AABE-4382-A5F9-BE1C192D45D7","Treasurer Appointment"],"documenttype":"Treasurer Appointment","electionname":null}],"filertype":"CANDIDATE","officename":"COUNTY COMMISSION","source_customer_id":"6074E035-D00A-404F-8A84-6ED696F1378D","source_filer_id":"d39b99d03ab4477a93ece4b86cc4695a","source_system":"easyvote","state":"TN","status":"Active"}],"firstname":"Gary","fullname":"Gary Stidham","lastname":"Stidham","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_002","contest_title":"TN House District 2","county":"Sullivan","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house_002","office_title":"State Representative District 2","party":"R","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":null,"party":"R","primary":{"contest":"state_house_002","contest_title":"TN House District 2","county":"Sullivan","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house_002","office_title":"State Representative District 2","party":"R","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"},"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"state_house_002","office_title":"State Representative District 2","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Sullivan County Commissioner Gary Stidham announced his bid for the Tennessee House District 2 seat in the Republican primary.","terms":[],"token":"RwPqGfHl9R"}