{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nCraig Clark is a Republican candidate for the Cumberland County Commission in the 3rd District, which elects two commissioners [1][3]. He advanced from the May 5, 2026 county primary (about 48 percent) to the August 6 general election, along with fellow Republican Karen Shanks (about 50 percent) [3]. His campaign emphasizes disciplined stewardship of tax dollars, open government and \"zero backroom deals,\" and \"sensible\" growth grounded in faith-and-family values; he describes himself as an experienced project manager rather than a politician [1].\n\n## Background and education\nClark describes himself as a family man and longtime resident of the Homesteads community in Cumberland County who came from a modest upbringing [1].\n\n## Career\nClark is a retired civil engineer and executive manager with more than 30 years of experience managing teams and solving public-works problems [1].\n\n## Office history\nIn May 2026 the County Commission appointed Clark to the Cumberland County Board of Equalization, a seat added to meet a state requirement that the county's board have six members because of the city of Crossville's population; the appointment runs through April 30, 2028 [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Craig Clark for District 3 \u2014 campaign website](https://craigclark-district3.com/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Craig Clark Appointed to Cumberland County Board of Equalization \u2014 102.5 WOW Country](https://1025wowcountry.com/2026/05/18/craig-clark-appointed-to-cumberland-county-board-of-equalization/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Cumberland County primary results, May 5, 2026 \u2014 The UC Now](https://theucnow.com/2026/05/05/wyatt-trustee-kerley-register-of-deeds-advance-in-cumberland/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_3","county":"Cumberland","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Commission District 3"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"CRAIG","fullname":"CRAIG CLARK","lastname":"CLARK","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_3","contest_title":"County Commission District 3","county":"Cumberland","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_3","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_3","contest_title":"County Commission District 3","county":"Cumberland","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_3","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission_district_3","office_title":"County Commission District 3","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Republican candidate for Cumberland County Commission District 3; retired civil engineer and executive manager, longtime Homesteads resident, recently appointed to the county Board of Equalization.","terms":[],"token":"WI1hHI4kqg"}