{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJoe 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 [1][2]. Fellow District 9 Republican Todd Golden also appears on the general-election ballot [2].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\nIn June 2023, after the Sullivan County Commission voted 17-4 to make Juneteenth a paid holiday for county employees, Carr \u2014 one of the commissioners who voted no \u2014 wrote a Kingsport Times News column headlined \"Juneteenth has nothing to do with Tennessee\" and characterized it as a \"woke holiday\" [4][3]. 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 [3][4].\n\nOn 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 [5][6]. 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].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Sullivan County Commissioners (Sullivan County TN government)](https://sullivancountytn.gov/county-commissioner-information/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Official Ballot for Sullivan County, August 6, 2026](https://www.wate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/42/2026/07/Sullivan-County-August-6-Sample-Ballot.pdf) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Sullivan Co. Democratic Party calls for Commissioner Joe Carr's resignation (WJHL)](https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/sullivan-co-democratic-party-calls-for-commissioner-joe-carrs-resignation/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [Carr doubles down as calls, emails demand his resignation (Johnson City Press)](https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/news/appalachian-highlands/carr-doubles-down-as-calls-emails-demand-his-resignation/article_45aa548c-39a2-57cf-81dd-9c368209f2da.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[5] [Sullivan County commissioner arrested for sexual battery in Asheville (WCYB)](https://wcyb.com/news/local/sullivan-county-commissioner-arrested-for-sexual-battery-in-asheville) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[6] [Sexual battery, public intoxication charges against Sullivan Co. Commissioner Joe Carr dropped (Yahoo/WJHL)](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/sexual-battery-public-intoxication-charges-154148357.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[7] [Sullivan County Democratic Party calls for resignation of Sullivan County commissioner (WCYB)](https://wcyb.com/news/local/sullivan-county-democratic-party-calls-for-resignation-of-sullivan-county-commissioner) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_9","county":"Sullivan","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Commission District 9"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Joe","fullname":"Joe Carr","lastname":"Carr","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_9","contest_title":"County Commission District 9","county":"Sullivan","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_9","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_9","contest_title":"County Commission District 9","county":"Sullivan","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_9","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission_district_9","office_title":"County Commission District 9","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Incumbent Republican Sullivan County commissioner, District 9 (Kingsport); drew resignation calls over a 2023 Juneteenth column and a 2025 Asheville arrest that was later dismissed.","terms":[],"token":"mfPb7lfOyB"}