{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJoseph \"Joey\" Wilburn is the incumbent Macon County Sheriff and the Republican nominee for re-election in the August 6, 2026 county general election [1][2]. He won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary with 3,214 votes (98.3%), with 55 write-in votes recorded [2]. An independent candidate, William D. Tuck, is also on the general-election ballot [3]. Wilburn has said his central concern is reducing recidivism: \"I think the State of Tennessee alone spends somewhere around $500 million on incarceration\" [1].\n\n## Background\nWilburn enlisted in the National Guard immediately after high school in 2004, completed basic training that December, and deployed to Iraq with the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment [1].\n\n## Career\nWilburn joined the Macon County Sheriff's Department in September 2006, following his military service, and later was elected sheriff [1].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nAs sheriff, Wilburn established the Babynov work-release program, under which participants earn wages while incarcerated, save money for reentry, and pay outstanding fines and fees; he says the program has recovered about $100,000 in fees and fines [1]. He has emphasized addiction treatment through a recovery-court approach, saying, \"These are human beings who have had it hard somewhere down the road, and I want to do what I can to change that for them\" [1]. He supports license-plate-reader (FLOCK) technology for locating abducted persons and fugitives and defends in-vehicle laptop systems for deputies [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [A second term for Wilburn? - Lebanon Democrat](https://www.lebanondemocrat.com/maconcounty/news/a-second-term-for-wilburn/article_3eca265d-9dae-5e1b-99f0-ab048a899568.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Macon County May 5, 2026 Primary Election Results - Macon County Chronicle](https://www.maconcountychronicle.com/2026/05/13/macon-county-may-5-2026-primary-election-results/) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Macon County elections shaping up as petitions are picked up and turned in - Lebanon Democrat](https://www.lebanondemocrat.com/maconcounty/news/macon-county-elections-shaping-up-as-petitions-are-picked-up-and-turned-in/article_e7448b5f-74ca-5490-a8b4-06f5d0136fe1.html) - accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"sheriff","county":"Macon","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"Sheriff"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"JOSEPH","fullname":"JOSEPH \"JOEY\" WILBURN","lastname":"WILBURN","middlename":"\"JOEY\"","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"sheriff","contest_title":"Sheriff","county":"Macon","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":"Macon","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":"Incumbent Macon County Sheriff and Army veteran seeking a second term; known for the Babynov work-release program and recovery-court efforts.","terms":[],"token":"togLKI1sxP"}