{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nGary \"Goose\" Ledbetter is the Republican nominee for Fentress County Sheriff on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot [1]. He won a contested Republican primary on May 5, 2026, defeating Rodney Insco Sr.; The UC Now reported the result as 49 percent to 46 percent [2], while regional coverage put Ledbetter's share at 51.4 percent [3]. In the general election he faces independent candidate and sitting interim sheriff Hunter Fowler [3].\n\n## Office history\nLedbetter has served as a Fentress County chief deputy and previously stepped in as interim sheriff in 2022 after a prior sheriff's resignation, and was among a field of five candidates for the office that year [4].","campaigns":[{"contest":"sheriff","county":"Fentress","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"Sheriff"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"GARY","fullname":"GARY \"GOOSE\" LEDBETTER","lastname":"LEDBETTER","middlename":"\"GOOSE\"","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"sheriff","contest_title":"Sheriff","county":"Fentress","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":"Fentress","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":"Republican nominee for Fentress County Sheriff; longtime chief deputy who won a contested May 2026 primary and faces interim sheriff Hunter Fowler.","terms":[],"token":"eWkGy7HCXv"}