{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nTracy Stepp is the incumbent Cocke County commissioner for District 3, Post 2, and is running for re-election as an independent candidate in the August 6, 2026 county general election [1][2]. The Post 2 seat is a four-way race that also includes Democratic nominee Al Pier and independent candidates Casey Jones and Sid Mason [1].\n\n## Office history\nStepp represents District 3, Post 2 on the Cocke County Legislative Body [2]. She first won the seat in a closely contested 2022 election: in the August 4, 2022 county general election, Stepp and incumbent Terry Dawson each received 420 votes, a tie that a single reviewed provisional ballot did not break because that voter had not cast a vote in the commission race [3][4]. On August 15, 2022 the county commission opted to resolve the seat through a November 2022 special election, which Stepp ultimately won, as she now holds the seat [3][4][2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [August 6, 2026 Cocke County General Election Official Sample Ballot](https://cockecountyelections.org/s/2026-AUGUST-COCKE-COUNTY-GENERAL-SAMPLE-BALLOT.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [County Legislative Body - Cocke County, Tennessee](https://www.cockecountytn.gov/county-legislative-body) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [All knotted up: Cocke County Commission seat race remains a tie; will be decided by election in November - WBIR](https://www.wbir.com/article/news/politics/all-knotted-up-single-provisional-ballot-could-resolve-tie-for-cocke-county-commission-seat/51-675ec14b-67dc-4c18-8560-682218c352a1) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [District 3, Post 2 CLB Race Remains Undecided - Newport Plain Talk](https://www.newportplaintalk.com/news/article_b9383f5e-180f-11ed-baaf-93e6435473b9.html) - accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_3","county":"Cocke","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Commissioner District 3, Post 1"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"TRACY","fullname":"TRACY STEPP","lastname":"STEPP","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_3","contest_title":"County Commissioner District 3, Post 1","county":"Cocke","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_3","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_3","contest_title":"County Commissioner District 3, Post 1","county":"Cocke","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_3","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"I","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission_district_3","office_title":"County Commissioner District 3, Post 1","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Incumbent Cocke County commissioner for District 3, Post 2, first elected via a 2022 tie-breaker special election; running for re-election Aug. 6, 2026.","terms":[],"token":"uWlFh7VeHe"}