{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nChad Burchette is running as an independent candidate for Cocke County Mayor in the August 6, 2026 county general election against Republican nominee Joe Shults [1][2]. A lifelong Republican by affiliation, Burchette is on the ballot as an independent; Shults publicly noted that Burchette had not voted in three of the last four Republican primaries [3]. Announcing his candidacy, Burchette said, \"I feel I have the drive, motivation, and knowledge to operate the Cocke County government efficiently with a purpose and a plan,\" and framed his campaign around networking to bring opportunities to the county and positioning it to compete [1]. He added, \"A vote for me is a vote for our children, our workers, our retirees, our well-being and our financial future as a county and as individuals\" [1].\n\n## Background and education\nBurchette is a lifelong Cocke County resident who comes from a family of educators [1]. He graduated from Cocke County High School in 1995, earned an associate degree in production horticulture from Walters State Community College, a bachelor's degree in general studies (with minors in environmental health and criminal justice) from East Tennessee State University, and a master's degree in education from Carson-Newman College [1]. He is a 2008 graduate of Leadership Cocke County [1].\n\n## Career\nBurchette has owned Burchette Landscaping since 1995 and expanded into excavation with Burchette Earthworks around 2010 [1]. He has taught at Edgemont Elementary, Cosby High School, and Del Rio Elementary, and worked as a district sales coordinator for Aflac [1]. He holds state licenses for septic and EI pump installation [1].\n\n## Family\nBurchette foregrounded his family's education background in his campaign announcement: his mother served as director of schools for Newport and his father was principal of Smoky Mountain Elementary [1]. His wife teaches at Del Rio Elementary, and he has two children and two stepchildren [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Chad Burchette announces candidacy for Cocke County mayor - Newport Plain Talk](https://www.newportplaintalk.com/news/article_d2456622-f5f5-42e5-a27d-d7f5fed51a0e.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [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[3] [Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis loses Republican bid for reelection to Joe Shults - WBIR](https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/hamblen-jefferson-cocke-greene/cocke-county-mayor-rob-mathis-loses-republican-bid-for-reelection-to-joe-shults/51-1e199ec2-8b15-4475-9f5c-3563a0f9b5fc) - accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","county":"Cocke","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Mayor"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"CHAD","fullname":"CHAD BURCHETTE","lastname":"BURCHETTE","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"Cocke","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"Cocke","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":null,"party":"I","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"I","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":"County Mayor","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Independent candidate for Cocke County Mayor (Aug. 6, 2026); lifelong resident, owner of Burchette Landscaping and Burchette Earthworks, and former public-school teacher.","terms":[],"token":"zKg8PCpOG4"}