{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nTravis Cauwels is the Lawrence County Commissioner for District 7, covering southeast Lawrenceburg and areas to the south and east [1]. He was the sole Republican candidate to qualify for the District 7 seat in the 2026 election cycle, ahead of the August 6, 2026 county general election [2].\n\n## Background and education\nCauwels' family moved to Lawrence County in 1995; he graduated from Lawrence County High School in 2006 [1]. He joined the Marine Corps on his 18th birthday, shortly after graduation, and completed four years of active duty, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan [1]. He then attended Columbia State Community College, graduating in 2012, and continued at Middle Tennessee State University, graduating with honors in 2014 with a major in Animal Science and a minor in Biology [1].\n\n## Career\nCauwels works in sales and design at his family's business and is a licensed Tennessee realtor with a local brokerage [1].\n\n## Family\nCauwels and his wife, Ashley, have three sons - Brantly, Cooper, and Trey (born 2020) - and he coaches multiple youth sports teams in the community [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Travis Cauwels - Lawrence County TN, Government](https://lawrencecountytn.gov/commissioners/district-7/) - accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Candidates Qualify to Compete in Upcoming Elections - Main Street Media of Tennessee (Lawrence County Advocate & Democrat)](https://mainstreetmediatn.com/articles/lawrencecountyadvocate/candidates-qualify-to-compete-in-upcoming-elections/) - accessed 2026-07-06","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_7","county":"Lawrence","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Commissioner District 7"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"TRAVIS","fullname":"TRAVIS CAUWELS","lastname":"CAUWELS","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_7","contest_title":"County Commissioner District 7","county":"Lawrence","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_7","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_7","contest_title":"County Commissioner District 7","county":"Lawrence","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_7","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission_district_7","office_title":"County Commissioner District 7","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Lawrence County Commissioner for District 7 (southeast Lawrenceburg); Marine Corps veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan and MTSU graduate, the Republican nominee in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"V22d9WX37p"}