{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nEddie Jewell (Edgar A. Jewell, Jr.) is the incumbent Meigs County Mayor and the sole Democratic candidate seeking re-election on the August 6, 2026 ballot [3][4]. He faces Republican nominee Joe Lawson [4].\n\n## Background and career\nBy his campaign's account, Jewell has 40 years of public service in Meigs County, including 33 years as fire chief and three decades of work serving youth; he previously served as the county's Juvenile Services Director [1].\n\n## Office history\nJewell was first elected Meigs County Mayor in 2022, defeating incumbent Bill James, and has served in the office since [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Re-Elect Eddie Jewell for Meigs County Mayor 2026 (campaign site)](https://eddiejewell4mayor.com/) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Jewell defeats James for Meigs mayor - Daily Post Athenian](https://www.dailypostathenian.com/news/article_9d07121a-1481-11ed-b51e-079c219f5a38.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Meigs County Mayor's Office](https://www.meigscounty.org/mayors-office) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [Candidates qualify for upcoming Meigs County election - Daily Post Athenian](https://www.dailypostathenian.com/news/article_9e1d293c-1706-4188-a622-00c823c54d67.html) - accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","county":"Meigs","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Mayor"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"EDGAR","fullname":"EDGAR A. JEWELL, JR","lastname":"JR","middlename":"A. JEWELL,","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"Meigs","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":null,"party":"D","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"Meigs","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":null,"party":"D","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"D","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":"County Mayor","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Incumbent Democratic Meigs County Mayor, first elected 2022; career includes 33 years as county fire chief and juvenile-services work; seeks re-election.","terms":[],"token":"XtkFbeTvMy"}