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Joe Carr
Office history
Current office and 2026 campaign
Joe Carr is an incumbent Republican member of the Sullivan County Commission representing District 9 (Kingsport) and a Republican Party nominee for one of the district's two seats in the August 6, 2026 county general election 12. Fellow District 9 Republican Todd Golden also appears on the general-election ballot 2.
Documented disputes and controversies
In June 2023, after the Sullivan County Commission voted 17-4 to make Juneteenth a paid holiday for county employees, Carr — one of the commissioners who voted no — wrote a Kingsport Times News column headlined "Juneteenth has nothing to do with Tennessee" and characterized it as a "woke holiday" 43. The Sullivan County Democratic Party and members of the public called on him to resign or be disciplined; Carr declined to back down from his comments 34.
On October 19, 2025, Carr was arrested in Asheville, North Carolina, and charged with sexual battery and public intoxication following an early-morning altercation; he was released on a $2,000 bond on October 21 56. The Sullivan County Democratic Party again called for his resignation 7. On February 16, 2026, the charges were disposed of in Buncombe County District Court 6. Carr said the dismissal was "the vindication I knew would come from the beginning" and that it affirmed "a foundational principle of our justice system: the presumption of innocence" 6.
Sources
Public filings
Candidates and officeholders are required by law to file campaign finance reports and statements of economic interest. The sites below don't support direct links to an individual record — search by last name on each.
Tennessee — campaign finance (search)
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State offices (Governor, TN Senate, TN House, State Executive Committee, statewide judiciary) —
Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.
Click Search for Candidates and PACs, enter last name “Carr”, and submit.
US House, US Senate, and Presidential candidates file with the FEC — see the federal section below. - County and municipal offices (County Mayor, Commissioner, Sheriff, School Board, court clerks, municipal alderman, etc.) — most major TN counties use the EasyVote portal. Select the relevant county and search by candidate name (“Carr”).
Tennessee — statement of interest
- Required for state and local officials and candidates — Tennessee Ethics Commission Conflict of Interest Search. Enter last name “Carr”and, if needed, select the applicable position.