{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nBen W. Danner is an independent candidate for Overton County Executive on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot, running against Republican nominee Austin Dodson and independent Randall Stockton [1][2]. A former county executive seeking to return to the office, his campaign highlights \"20 years of conservative County Government leadership experience\" [3]. He took part in a nonpartisan County Executive candidate forum hosted by the Livingston Civic and Garden Club on July 9, 2026 [1].\n\n## Office history\nDanner previously served Overton County government for roughly two decades, including about 12 years as county commissioner for the 5th District and about eight years as Overton County Executive, a tenure that ended in 2022 [4][5]. He is not the current officeholder; Steven Barlow holds the county executive seat as of 2026 [6].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [OCN to livestream candidate forum - Overton County News](https://www.overtoncountynews.com/news/ocn-to-livestream-candidate-forum/article_3def94b6-c867-4aa2-b375-5f9ce51f1f32.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Overton County August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot (PDF)](https://overtonvotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TNOVEPG6_SampleInfinityBallot.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Re-elect Ben Danner Overton County Executive - Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/p/Re-elect-Ben-Danner-Overton-County-Executive-100081497616130/) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [Danner announces re-election for Overton County Executive - Overton County News](https://www.overtoncountynews.com/news/local_state/danner-announces-re-election-for-overton-county-executive/article_f6189aac-c005-11ec-a0ac-fb4495e5d4b0.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[5] [Danner, Phipps end run on County Commission - Overton County News](https://www.overtoncountynews.com/news/danner-phipps-end-run-on-county-commission/article_ccc6ffa8-1817-11ed-bdaa-4719d1e14b4f.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[6] [Officials - Overton County, Tennessee](https://overtoncountytn.gov/officials/) - accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_executive","county":"Overton","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Executive"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"BEN","fullname":"BEN W. DANNER","lastname":"DANNER","middlename":"W.","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_executive","contest_title":"County Executive","county":"Overton","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_executive","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_executive","contest_title":"County Executive","county":"Overton","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_executive","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"I","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_executive","office_title":"County Executive","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Independent candidate for Overton County Executive and a former officeholder; previously served about eight years as executive and twelve as a 5th District commissioner.","terms":[],"token":"XjSOoCk8Cu"}