{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJonathan \"Chip\" Blankenship filed a campaign treasurer form on October 27, 2025, and ran unopposed for Blount County Commission District 9, Seat B, succeeding retiring incumbent Steve Mikels [1][2]. No Democrat or independent qualified for the seat, so Blankenship is set to take office in September 2026 [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [County Commission gets younger after primary election](https://www.thedailytimes.com/news/county-commission-gets-younger-after-primary-election/article_11996870-3dd9-40e8-9cac-76fc68bc0ca9.html), The Daily Times\n[2] [Commissioners](https://www.blounttn.gov/835/Commissioners), Blount County, TN, accessed 2026-07-06","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_9_seat_b","county":"Blount","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Commission District 9, Seat B"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Chip","fullname":"Chip Blankenship","lastname":"Blankenship","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_9_seat_b","contest_title":"County Commission District 9, Seat B","county":"Blount","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_9_seat_b","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_9_seat_b","contest_title":"County Commission District 9, Seat B","county":"Blount","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_9_seat_b","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission_district_9_seat_b","office_title":"County Commission District 9, Seat B","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Unopposed Republican winner for Blount County Commission District 9, Seat B, succeeding retiring incumbent Steve Mikels.","terms":[],"token":"bOaINDUsJM"}