John Duncan III

John Duncan III is a Republican candidate running for Knox County Clerk in Tennessee's 2026 primary election ¹⁰. He is a former Knox County Trustee who resigned from that office in 2013 following a felony misconduct conviction, though his criminal record has since been expunged ¹⁰.

Duncan III is the son of former U.S. Representative John J. Duncan Jr. (also known as Jimmy Duncan), who served Tennessee's 2nd Congressional District from 1989 to 2019 ⁹. His grandfather was John Duncan Sr., who also represented the district in Congress and served as Mayor of Knoxville ⁸.

In his campaign for County Clerk, Duncan III has reported raising $7,600 from his father and stepmother, while loaning his own campaign $20,000 ¹⁰. As of March 31, 2026, he had $23,545 available in funds ¹⁰. He describes himself as a "proven conservative" who has cut budgets and made difficult choices, citing over two decades of private sector work experience ¹¹. Duncan III argues that the County Clerk's office belongs to the citizens and should be run efficiently and professionally at the lowest possible cost ¹¹.

The Knox County Clerk is a "jack of all trades" position with diverse responsibilities, including issuing business and marriage licenses, renewing motor vehicle registrations, collecting liquor and wine taxes, serving as a federal passport agent, processing notary applications, and maintaining records for the County Commission and other boards ¹⁰. Duncan III is one of four Republicans running in the primary; the others are former Knox County Commissioner Richie Beeler, former Property Assessor John Whitehead, and Rodney Lane, a former deputy in the Property Assessor’s Office ¹⁰. No Democrat is running in the general election, meaning the Republican primary winner will hold the office ¹⁰.

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