{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nSteve Page is the Republican incumbent sheriff of White County, seeking re-election in the August 6, 2026 general election against independent challenger Daniel Trivette [3]. In candidate questionnaires he has pointed to deputy pay and retention \u2014 with surrounding agencies paying more \u2014 as a central challenge for the office [4].\n\n## Career\nPage earned a criminal justice degree and graduated from the Cleveland State Police Academy in 2010 [1]. He joined the White County Sheriff's Office in 2011 as a deputy under then-Sheriff Oddie Shoupe and was later promoted to detective [1]. In 2017 he joined the Baxter Police Department while campaigning for sheriff [1].\n\n## Office history\nPage was elected White County Sheriff in August 2018 and won a second term in 2022 [1]. In June 2026 the Tennessee Senate recognized him for fifteen years of law-enforcement service in a proclamation signed by Senate Speaker Randy McNally, Sen. Paul Bailey and Rep. Paul Sherrell and presented at the White County Justice Center [1]. His earlier honors include a Deputy of the Year award and an Excellence in Law Enforcement Award from the U.S. Attorney General's Office [1].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\nPage is a defendant in Ford v. Page, a First Amendment retaliation lawsuit brought by former captain John Ford [2]. Page had assigned Ford to investigate an April 2020 incident in which a deputy repeatedly deployed a K-9 on a woman during a felony warrant service; after Ford concluded the deputy may have committed a crime and contacted the district attorney's office without written authorization, Page terminated him for violating a chain-of-command policy [2]. On November 1, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (Judge Waverly Crenshaw) denied the defendants summary judgment, finding \"admissible direct and circumstantial evidence\" that Ford was fired for protected speech and ruling that qualified immunity was not available to Page [2].\n\n## Family\nPage's son serves as a Tennessee State Trooper [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Tennessee Senate Honors Sheriff Steve Page for 15 Years of Service - Main Street Journal](https://www.mainstreetjournal.llc/tennessee-senate-honors-sheriff-steve-page-15-years-service/) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Tenn. police whistleblower can proceed with First Amendment retaliation claim - Free Speech Center, MTSU](https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/post/tenn-police-whistleblower-can-proceed-with-first-amendment-retaliation-claim/) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [White County Election Guide: Who's Running in August - Main Street Journal](https://www.mainstreetjournal.llc/white-county-august-election-candidates-guide/) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [White County Sheriff Q1 Candidate Responses - Main Street Journal](https://www.mainstreetjournal.llc/white-county-tn-sheriff-candidate-responses-question-1/) - accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"sheriff","county":"White","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"Sheriff"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Steve","fullname":"Steve Page","lastname":"Page","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"sheriff","contest_title":"Sheriff","county":"White","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":"White","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 incumbent White County sheriff (elected 2018) seeking re-election; former deputy and detective; a defendant in a pending First Amendment retaliation suit.","terms":[],"token":"n7Dd9h3QPW"}