{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nScott Stewart is the Republican nominee for Hawkins County Sheriff on the August 6, 2026 ballot, running unopposed after winning a five-way GOP primary in May 2026 [1][2]. Stewart declared his candidacy on November 18, 2025 [3] and ran on the slogans \"No Excuses,\" \"No Hugs For Thugs,\" and \"A First Responder. Not A Politician,\" emphasizing rapid response, visible leadership, and proactive enforcement [1][4][5]. He has said he wants residents to expect to see the sheriff or chief deputy responding to calls, and plans a more hands-on approach than his predecessor [4].\n\n## Background and education\nStewart earned his EMT license through Walters State Community College and has volunteered with the Hawkins County Rescue Squad for more than 25 years, along with local fire departments; his grandfather, Gale Carpenter, helped establish the Rescue Squad in 1958 [5].\n\n## Career\nStewart joined the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office in 2003 and has since served as a corrections officer, patrol deputy, school resource officer at Volunteer High School, investigator, and narcotics agent with the Third Judicial District Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, where he is currently assistant director [3][4][5]. He has been a sworn FBI Task Force Officer since 2018 [5]. Stewart has described his Drug Task Force and FBI Task Force work as the most formative parts of his career, and said he would likely have finished in task-force work had he not run for sheriff [4].\n\n## Office history\nIn the May 5, 2026 Republican primary, Stewart won 3,405 votes (about 40.5% of 8,402 cast), defeating Chief Deputy Tony Allen (1,896), David Good (1,676), and two other candidates [1][2]. He held roughly a 500-vote early-voting lead over the second-place finisher [1]. Stewart will succeed four-term Sheriff Ronnie Lawson, who announced in September 2025 that he would not seek re-election, making Stewart the first new Hawkins County sheriff in 16 years [6].\n\n## Family\nStewart is married to LeAnn Stewart and is a grandfather; the couple attends The Bridge Church in Rogersville [5].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [No excuses: Stewart wins primary, Linkous unseats DeWitte (Rogersville Review)](https://www.therogersvillereview.com/news/article_f3f7b9f3-e7c6-4839-9584-7f87024cae4a.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18\n[2] [Scott Stewart secures nomination for Hawkins County sheriff (WJHL)](https://www.wjhl.com/news/your-local-election-hq/scott-stewart-secures-nomination-for-hawkins-county-sherif/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18\n[3] [Hawkins voters have plenty of options (Rogersville Review)](https://www.therogersvillereview.com/news/article_a72b5833-32a6-408c-84a9-21f45511c5f5.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18\n[4] [One on one with unopposed Hawkins County Sheriff candidate Scott Stewart (WCYB)](https://wcyb.com/news/local/one-on-one-with-unopposed-hawkins-county-sheriff-candidate-scott-stewart) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18\n[5] [Scott Stewart For Sheriff \u2014 campaign site](https://www.stewart4sheriff.com/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18\n[6] [Scott Stewart to be Hawkins' first new sheriff in 16 years (Kingsport Times News)](https://timesnews.net/news/371964/scott-stewart-to-be-hawkins-first-new-sheriff-in-16-years/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18","campaigns":[{"contest":"sheriff","county":"Hawkins","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"Sheriff"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"SCOTT","fullname":"SCOTT STEWART","lastname":"STEWART","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"sheriff","contest_title":"Sheriff","county":"Hawkins","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"sheriff","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"sheriff","contest_title":"Sheriff","county":"Hawkins","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"sheriff","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Career Hawkins County deputy and Third Judicial District Drug Task Force assistant director; won a five-way GOP primary to become the county's first new sheriff in 16 years.","terms":[],"token":"bSlvwCYGeU"}