{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nCathy J. Thomas is a sitting member of the Unicoi County Board of Education representing the 1st District and is one of two Republican nominees on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot for the two School Board District 1 seats, an uncontested race with two candidates for two seats [1][2].\n\n## Office history\nThomas is one of the six members of the Unicoi County Board of Education and has represented the 1st District; she was elected to a District 1 school board seat in the August 2014 county election [2][3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Official Ballot, State and County General Election, Unicoi County, August 6, 2026](https://unicoivotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/COUNTY-GENERAL.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Unicoi County Schools \u2014 Board of Education](https://www.unicoischools.com/page/board-of-education) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Updated election results \u2014 The Erwin Record](https://www.erwinrecord.net/local-news/updated-election-results/) - accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board_district_1","county":"Unicoi","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"School Board District 1"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"CATHY","fullname":"CATHY J. THOMAS","lastname":"THOMAS","middlename":"J.","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board_district_1","contest_title":"School Board District 1","county":"Unicoi","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_school_board_district_1","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_school_board_district_1","contest_title":"School Board District 1","county":"Unicoi","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_school_board_district_1","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_school_board_district_1","office_title":"School Board District 1","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Sitting Unicoi County Board of Education member for the 1st District, first elected in 2014, running for re-election unopposed in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"vSASth542Z"}