{"biography":"Wendell \"Wells\" Blankenship is an independent candidate running for U.S. House in Tennessee's newly configured 8th Congressional District in the 2026 election [35]. The new district boundaries, approved by the state legislature and signed by Governor Bill Lee, split Memphis and Shelby County among the 5th, 8th, and 9th districts, dispersing voters into areas that lean Republican [35]. Blankenship qualified for the ballot in this race alongside other independent candidates including Adam Austill, Antonio Futch, Pamela Jeanine \"P.\" Moses, Horace Taylor, and Henry J. Ward III [37]. He previously ran as an independent candidate for U.S. House in Tennessee's 9th Congressional District in 2024, where he received 1.7% of the vote (3,708 votes) against incumbent Steve Cohen [1]. In that race, Blankenship completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, stating that the core responsibility of elected officials is to represent voters [25]. He also ran for U.S. House in Tennessee's 9th District in 2022 as an independent, finishing third behind incumbent Steve Cohen and Republican challenger Charlotte Bergmann [18]. Local reporting notes that Blankenship did not have a campaign website during the 2024 cycle [25].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [Wendell Wells - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Wendell_Wells)\n[2] [Wendell, North Carolina - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Wendell,_North_Carolina)\n[3] [Wendell, Idaho - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Wendell,_Idaho)\n[4] [Wendell, Minnesota - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Wendell,_Minnesota)\n[5] [Wendell Willard - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Wendell_Willard)\n[6] [Wendell Walker - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Wendell_Walker)\n[7] [Barry Wendell - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Barry_Wendell)\n[8] [Wendell Jones - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Wendell_Jones)\n[9] [Wendell Champion - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Wendell_Champion)\n[10] [Wendell Felder - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Wendell_Felder)\n[11] [Susan Buchser-Lochocki - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Susan_Buchser-Lochocki)\n[12] [Endorsements by Wendell Walker - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Endorsements_by_Wendell_Walker)\n[13] [Wendell Ka'ehu'ae'a - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Wendell_Ka%27ehu%27ae%27a)\n[14] [Wendell Manning - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Wendell_Manning)\n[15] [Wendell Lee - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Wendell_Lee)\n[16] [Wendell Tabb - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Wendell_Tabb)\n[17] [Wendell Byrd - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Wendell_Byrd)\n[18] [Tennessee's 9th Congressional District - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Tennessee's_9th_Congressional_District)\n[19] [United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_Tennessee,_2026)\n[20] [M. LaTroy A-Williams - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/M._LaTroy_A-Williams)\n[21] [United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2024 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_Tennessee,_2024)\n[22] [WELLS, WENDELL - Candidate overview - FEC.gov](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H4TN09121/)\n[23] [Wendell Walker - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendell_Walker)\n[25] [What to know in U.S. House of Representatives race for District 8 and 9 | localmemphis.com](https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/politics/elections/what-to-know-in-us-house-of-representatives-race-for-district-8-election/522-87a7469d-1fd4-4374-932a-681428ca8c8c)\n[26] [Election 2024: Results for U.S. & Tennessee Senate & House races | localmemphis.com](https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/politics/elections/election-2024-us-west-tennessee-senate-house-races-results/522-23306a12-4182-4f8c-97ef-49793084d7de)\n[29] [Blankenship, Edward Louis (Dayton) - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2014/3/12/271627/Blankenship-Edward-Louis-Dayton.aspx)\n[34] [Tennessee's redrawn congressional districts: A full guide to every candidate running in 2026](https://www.newschannel5.com/news/tennessees-redrawn-congressional-districts-a-full-guide-to-every-candidate-running-in-2026)\n[35] [New district lines give West Tennessee politics a fresh shuffle | News | stategazette.com](https://www.stategazette.com/news/new-district-lines-give-west-tennessee-politics-a-fresh-shuffle/article_2ba92e97-de78-5819-b51b-785ef6263b22.html)\n[37] [State lawmakers pitted against each other in 9th | Tennessee | thecentersquare.com](https://www.thecentersquare.com/tennessee/article_6e462b30-56b2-47d7-9784-ff2d9b8a8b38.html)\n[40] [Obituaries \u2013 McCreary Journal](https://www.mccrearyjournal.com/2014/08/08/obituaries-2/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"us_house_8","county":"Benton","county_count":23,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"US House District 8"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Wendell \"Wells\"","fullname":"Wendell \"Wells\" Blankenship","lastname":"Blankenship","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"us_house_8","contest_title":"US House District 8","county":"Benton","county_count":23,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_house_8","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":null,"party":"I","primary":{"contest":"us_house_8","contest_title":"US House District 8","county":"Benton","county_count":23,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_house_8","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"},"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"us_house_8","office_title":"US House District 8","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Wendell \"Wells\" Blankenship is an independent candidate running for U.S. House in Tennessee's 8th District in 2026, having previously run as an independent in the 9th District in 2022 and 2024.","terms":[],"token":"xch1qsKdBt"}