{"biography":"Charles Van Morgan is an independent candidate running for Governor of Tennessee in the 2026 election [1]. He was born in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, and resides in Knoxville [1]. Morgan earned a bachelor\u2019s degree from Tennessee Wesleyan College in 1996, a graduate degree from the University of Tennessee in 2001, and a J.D. from Nashville School of Law in 2015 [1]. His professional background includes owning a logistics and transportation business and serving as a police officer and trooper [1]. Specifically, Morgan was a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper who was fired in 2012 after driving past a fatal wreck that killed 20-year-old Gordon Kyle Anito; the family of the deceased dropped a $10 million lawsuit against him and the patrol [33].\n\nIn October 2022, during his previous gubernatorial campaign, Morgan was arrested at a Hamilton County voting site on River Terminal Road. Police responded to complaints from the Hamilton County Election Commission regarding a disturbance; an affidavit stated that Morgan was \"screaming about politics, cursing, getting into people\u2019s faces and harassing the voters\" [13]. Morgan denied these allegations, telling reporters he was simply campaigning and that election officials were acting corruptly [10]. He was charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and intimidation of voters, and police reported finding a handgun on him during the arrest [13]. The charges against him were dismissed in June 2023 [11]. Following the incident, Morgan filed a lawsuit against Hamilton County, accusing officials of violating his rights [12].\n\nMorgan\u2019s public record includes other legal disputes. In 2022, the Tennessee Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court\u2019s decision to grant protective orders against him in favor of his sister, Tammy Goodrich, following a dispute over their mother\u2019s estate. The court opinion noted that Goodrich alleged Morgan screamed threats to \"destroy\" her and her husband [3]. Morgan argued in the appeal that he was only responding to political smears, stating he wanted to \"annihilate her character since she was annihilating [his]\" [25].\n\nIn his 2022 campaign, Morgan identified as a moderate independent. His questionnaire responses indicated support for lower taxes for the majority while requiring the \"super rich\" to pay their fair share, and he opposed taxpayer-funded public education through college, favoring trade schools instead [8]. He stated that individuals should not be required to provide services if it violates their moral beliefs [8]. On national security, he supported gathering intelligence on Islamic terrorism but strongly disagreed with the BDS movement regarding Israel [8]. Morgan has also been involved in a civil dispute with his sister over family estate matters, which resulted in protective orders being issued against him [3].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [Charles Morgan (Tennessee) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Charles_Morgan_(Tennessee))\n[2] [Charles Morgan (Tennessee) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Charles_Van_Morgan)\n[3] [Tammy Goodrich v. Charles Van Morgan | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts](https://www.tncourts.gov/courts/court-appeals/opinions/2022/08/23/tammy-goodrich-v-charles-van-morgan)\n[7] [Vote-USA | Charles Van Morgan | Previous Candidate for Governor, Tennessee](https://vote-usa.org/Intro.aspx?State=TN&Id=TNVanMorganCharles)\n[8] [iVoterGuide - Charles Van Morgan iVoterGuide Profile](https://ivoterguide.com/candidate/73544/race/15572/election/979)\n[10] [Tennessee governor candidate arrested in Hamilton County | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2022/oct/25/tennessee-governor-candidate-arrested-in-hamilton-county/)\n[11] [Charges against former Tennessee gubernatorial candidate Charles Van Morgan dismissed | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2023/sep/14/charges-against-former-tennessee-gubernatorial/)\n[12] [Failed Tennessee governor candidate wants gun back and $4 million from Hamilton County | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2023/jan/13/failed-tennessee-governor-candidate-tfp/)\n[13] [Tennessee governor candidate arrested after disturbance call at voting site](https://wreg.com/news/mid-south/tennessee-governor-candidate-arrested-after-disturbance-call-at-voting-site/amp/)\n[22] [Voters of Tennessee Enraged/Encouraged. Help us fight the crooks](https://www.drove.com/campaign/5c6ba662cb9bc70001cece14)\n[23] [Charles Van Morgan \u2014 2026 TN Governor Race | Tennessee Firefly](https://tnfirefly.com/tennessee-governor-race/candidates/charles-van-morgan)\n[24] [Charges dismissed in Hamilton Co. against former Tennessee gubernatorial candidate | wbir.com](https://www.wbir.com/article/news/crime/governor-candidate-arrested-in-hamilton-county/51-79743adb-2219-4fa1-8827-c0391277ea33)\n[25] [Tammy Goodrich v. Charles Van Morgan :: 2022 :: Tennessee Court of Appeals Decisions :: Tennessee Case Law :: Tennessee Law :: U.S. Law :: Justia](https://law.justia.com/cases/tennessee/court-of-appeals/2022/e2021-01045-coa-r3-cv.html)\n[26] [Charles Van Morgan | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/charles-van-morgan-1f72f154-2f0e-4785-b89b-29bed78ea382)\n[29] [Candidate For Tennessee Governor Arrested At Voting Site | Talk Radio 98.3 WLAC](https://wlac.iheart.com/content/2022-10-25-candidate-for-tennessee-governor-arrested-at-voting-site/)\n[30] [Gubernatorial Candidate Charles Van Morgan arrested for intimidation of voters | Local News | local3news.com](https://www.local3news.com/local-news/gubernatorial-candidate-charles-van-morgan-arrested-for-intimidation-of-voters/article_345e1698-54ad-11ed-9a1d-675c6f6c61f1.html)\n[31] [Candidate For Tennessee Governor Arrested At Voting Site | iHeart](https://www.iheart.com/content/2022-10-25-candidate-for-tennessee-governor-arrested-at-voting-site/)\n[33] [Family Drops Lawsuit in Fatal Tennessee Crash](https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/southeast/2012/08/22/212385.htm)","campaigns":[{"contest":"governor","county":"Anderson","county_count":95,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"Tennessee Governor"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Charles","fullname":"Charles Van Morgan","lastname":"Van Morgan","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"governor","contest_title":"Tennessee Governor","county":"Anderson","county_count":95,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"governor","office_title":"Governor","party":"I","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":null,"party":"I","primary":{"contest":"governor","contest_title":"Tennessee Governor","county":"Anderson","county_count":95,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"governor","office_title":"Governor","party":"I","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"},"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"governor","office_title":"Governor","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Charles Van Morgan is an independent candidate for Governor of Tennessee (2026) with a background as a former Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper and attorney; he was arrested in 2022 during a gubernatorial run for voter intimidation charges that were later dismissed.","terms":[],"token":"zKrqGdnDyE"}