{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nShane Blackwood is an independent candidate for Lewis County Mayor on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot, running against Republican nominee James \"Ryan\" Skelton [1][2]. Blackwood describes himself as \"not a polished politician\" but \"an everyday working man, a family man, and someone who truly loves this county and the people in it\" [1]. He has said his top priorities are communication, planning, and strengthening basic county services, emphasizing that residents want to feel informed and included, to know what decisions are being made, and to be able to reach their county leadership [1]. On taxes, he has said, \"I am not for raising taxes unless it is absolutely necessary, clearly justified, and handled with full transparency,\" and that county government should operate efficiently and cut waste [1].\n\n## Office history\nBlackwood previously ran for Lewis County Mayor in 2022, narrowly losing to incumbent Jonah Keltner, who received 1,364 votes to Blackwood's 1,343 \u2014 a margin of 21 votes [3][4].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Blackwood Announces Candidacy for Lewis County Mayor - Lewis County Herald](https://www.lewisherald.com/story/2026/05/14/business/blackwood-announces-candidacy-for-lewis-county-mayor/12201.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Meet Lewis County's 2026 Mayoral Candidates - Lewis County Herald](https://www.lewisherald.com/story/2026/04/09/news/meet-lewis-countys-2026-mayoral-candidates/11974.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Blackwood announces candidacy for County Mayor - Lewis County Herald](https://www.lewisherald.com/story/2022/06/16/news/blackwood-announces-candidacy-for-county-mayor/4620.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [2022 Election Results - Lewis County Herald](https://www.lewisherald.com/story/2022/08/11/news/2022-election-results/4913.html) - accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","county":"Lewis","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Mayor"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Shane","fullname":"Shane Blackwood","lastname":"Blackwood","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"Lewis","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"Lewis","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"I","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":"County Mayor","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Independent candidate for Lewis County Mayor, running a second time after a 21-vote loss in 2022. Platform: communication, planning, stronger county services, no reflexive tax hikes.","terms":[],"token":"rqwWigq8zB"}