{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nRichard Baud is a Republican candidate for District 7 on the Maury County Commission in the August 6, 2026 county general election [1]. At a June 30, 2026 candidate forum hosted by NAACP Chapter 5584 and the Think Tank Foundation, Baud focused on the county's growth, noting that Maury County has added about 60,000 residents since he arrived in 1998 \u2014 more than the population of 29 Tennessee counties \u2014 and questioning whether the county has planned around that growth [2]. He proposed diversifying the local economy, including opening an air traffic control academy at the county airport and bringing in a slaughterhouse to work with local livestock farmers, and said the county should \"start being creative\" about jobs threatened by automation and AI [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Aug 2026 Petitions and Party Nominations | Maury County, TN](https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/685/Aug-2026-Petitions-and-Party-Nominations) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[2] [Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 7-16-26](https://www.frontporchradiotn.com/post/southern-middle-tn-today-news-with-tom-price-7-16-26) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_7","county":"Maury","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Commissioner District 7"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Richard","fullname":"Richard Baud","lastname":"Baud","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_7","contest_title":"County Commissioner District 7","county":"Maury","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_7","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_7","contest_title":"County Commissioner District 7","county":"Maury","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_7","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission_district_7","office_title":"County Commissioner District 7","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Republican candidate for Maury County Commission District 7 whose 2026 campaign centers on managing rapid county growth and diversifying the local economy.","terms":[],"token":"vJoqUKPRcd"}