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William Cooper
Office history
William Cooper is a Republican candidate running for Knox County Commission District 7 in Tennessee, with the primary election scheduled for May 5, 2026 [11]. He is one of four candidates listed for this specific district seat, alongside Barry Beeler, Buddy Burkhardt, and Justin Mash [11].
Publicly available information does not provide a detailed professional biography or prior elected office history for this specific William Cooper in the context of Knox County politics. The Ballotpedia entry for a "William Cooper" describes a member of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency Board of Directors in California, who was re-elected in 2022 [1]. This individual is geographically and politically distinct from the Tennessee candidate.
Another public figure named Bill Cooper served as General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy and previously worked on Capitol Hill and in the private energy sector [6]. He is a native of Tennessee but currently resides in Maryland, and there is no evidence linking him to this local county commission race [6]. Additionally, William Cooper Nell was a 19th-century abolitionist and historian from Boston, who is not relevant to this contemporary election [3].
The Knox County Commission District 7 seat requires the incumbent or winner to represent the residents of that specific district on the county commission. The primary election will determine which Republican candidate advances to the general election for this local office [11].
Sources
- [1] William Cooper - Ballotpedia
- [2] Tennessee elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia
- [3] William Cooper Nell (U.S. National Park Service)
- [4] Candidate Lists | Tennessee Secretary of State
- [5] Candidate Information | Williamson County, TN - Official Site
- [6] Bill Cooper | Department of Energy
- [7] 2026 Tennessee gubernatorial election - Wikipedia
- [11] Meet Knox County Commission candidates for District 3 and 7 - Knox TN Today
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)
- State offices (Governor, US Senate, US Rep, TN Senate, TN House, State Executive Committee) — Tennessee Registry of Election Finance. Click Search for Candidates and PACs, enter last name “Cooper”, and submit.
- 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 (“Cooper”).
Tennessee — statement of interest
- Required for state and local officials and candidates — Tennessee Ethics Commission Conflict of Interest Search. Enter last name “Cooper”and, if needed, select the applicable position.