{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJustin D. Cofer is the Republican nominee for Knox County Commission At-Large Seat 10 in the August 6, 2026 general election, running to replace term-limited Commissioner Larsen Jay [1]. He won the May 2026 Republican primary with 43% of the vote over Kimberly Glenn and Ronnie Rochelle, and faces independent Ronin Cunningham and Democrat Katina Sharp [1]. Cofer describes himself as an \"Air Force Veteran. Husband. Father. Conservative Republican.\" [4] His central themes are fiscal accountability, a complete external audit of the county's roughly $1.1 billion budget, a dedicated roads fund, and managed growth: \"Growth itself isn't the problem, poor planning is.\" [2]\n\n## Background and education\nCofer, 46, lives in the Ball Camp area of West Knox County with his wife and two sons [2][4]. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from King University, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and says he scored in the top 1% nationally on the Peregrine Business Exam [4][2].\n\n## Career\nCofer served more than a decade in an Air Force Civil Engineering Squadron as an Electrical Power Production Specialist, work he describes as managing large-scale infrastructure projects with cost controls and multimillion-dollar asset oversight [4]. Compass Knox describes him as a former civil engineer in the Air Force [2]. His voter-guide occupation is listed as American Legion legislative liaison [1]. He authored a children's book, \"Everyday Heroes,\" about \"service, sacrifice, and community.\" [4]\n\n## Office history\nCofer has not previously held elected office [2]. During the campaign he attended county commission meetings and met with county officials including CFO Chris Caldwell and engineering director Jim Snowden, saying, \"I'm evolving my views as I learn more...A good leader has to be willing to adjust when you've got the right evidence.\" [1]\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\nCofer was fired in 2017 from the Morgan County Correctional Complex after an internal investigation; according to the investigation he violated a corrections policy prohibiting staff dealings with offenders and engaged in \"conduct unbecoming,\" and it referenced possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy [3]. He worked there in two stints (2006-2008 and 2011-2017); he resigned in 2008 after testing positive for morphine and opiates, which his resignation letter attributed to treatments for health issues from his Iraq deployment [3]. Cofer disputed the 2017 allegations, saying \"There was zero evidence that I'd done anything wrong\" and that an inmate falsely reported he brought a cell phone into the facility; no criminal charges appear in Morgan County records and he said he was never arrested [3].\n\n## Family\nCofer is married and has two sons [4].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Knox County Commission At-Large Seat 10 voter's guide (Knox News)](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/knox-county-commission-large-seat-081219516.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Primary 2026: Commission At-Large Seat 10 (Compass Knox)](https://compassknox.com/2026/04/23/primary-2026-commission-at-large-seat-10/) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Knox County Commission candidate Justin Cofer was fired for drug infraction (Knox News)](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/knox-county-commission-candidate-justin-190139945.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [Justin Cofer for Knox County Commission (campaign site)](https://www.knoxcountyforcofer.com/) - accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_at_large_seat_10","county":"Knox","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Commission At-Large, Seat 10"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Justin","fullname":"Justin D. Cofer","lastname":"Cofer","middlename":"D.","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_at_large_seat_10","contest_title":"County Commission At-Large, Seat 10","county":"Knox","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_at_large_seat_10","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_at_large_seat_10","contest_title":"County Commission At-Large, Seat 10","county":"Knox","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_at_large_seat_10","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission_at_large_seat_10","office_title":"County Commission At-Large, Seat 10","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Republican nominee for Knox County Commission At-Large Seat 10; Air Force veteran running on a full county budget audit, a roads fund and managed growth.","terms":[],"token":"qfFIbC7XGJ"}