{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nRick Howard Jr. is the Democratic nominee for Wilson County Commission District 18, unopposed in the May 5, 2026 primary [1]. He faces Republican incumbent Lauren Breeze in the August 6, 2026 Wilson County general election [1]. His campaign platform centers on education - saying \"we can move our community forward\" by making sure \"our children receive a good education in a safe environment\" - along with infrastructure and constituent accessibility; he describes his candidacy as running \"with no hidden agendas\" [2].\n\n## Background and education\n\nIn his candidate announcement, Howard says he was raised in Fairmount, Indiana, in a two-parent home, attended Sunday school, and won awards for perfect attendance seven years in a row; he credits that upbringing with teaching him \"you always help those who are struggling... no matter what race, sexual orientation or religion\" [3]. \"I'm a fighter and I want to fight for you!\" he said announcing his campaign [3].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [Wilson County May 5 primary candidates, Lebanon Democrat](https://www.lebanondemocrat.com/lebanon/wilson-county-may-5-primary-candidates/article_1c729583-8efa-5bb9-bf6d-b169c75f0c2f.html) - accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Rick Howard Jr. for Wilson County Commission District 18 - ActBlue](https://secure.actblue.com/donate/rick-howard-jr-1) - accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [Candidate announcement: Rick Howard for county commission, Main Street Media of Tennessee](https://mainstreetmediatn.com/articles/chronicleofmtjuliet/candidate-announcement-rick-howard-for-county-commission/) (article is subscriber-gated beyond the opening paragraphs; quotes above reflect the publicly visible portion as of 2026-07-06) - accessed 2026-07-06","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_18","county":"Wilson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Commission District 18"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"RICK","fullname":"RICK HOWARD JR","lastname":"JR","middlename":"HOWARD","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_18","contest_title":"County Commission District 18","county":"Wilson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_18","office_title":null,"party":"D","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_18","contest_title":"County Commission District 18","county":"Wilson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_18","office_title":null,"party":"D","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"D","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission_district_18","office_title":"County Commission District 18","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Democratic nominee for Wilson County Commission District 18; faces Republican incumbent Lauren Breeze in the August 6, 2026 general election.","terms":[],"token":"roV4rq7l9E"}