{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Rex Lynch","chatgptsummary":"Rex Lynch's biography shows eight years as incumbent Circuit Court Clerk managing records, fees, and staff in Anderson County, alongside prior experience as county mayor. However, his record includes a 2012 resignation after grand jury indictment on nine counts involving sales tax fraud and official misconduct while serving as mayor. Bio does not indicate prior judicial administration or specialized legal training experience.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nRex Lynch is a Republican candidate for Anderson County Circuit Court Clerk in Tennessee, seeking re-election in the August 6, 2026 primary [12]. He is the incumbent, having first been elected to the office in August 2018 [7].\n\nLynch serves as the Circuit Court Clerk for Anderson County, based in Clinton. His responsibilities include assembling and presenting judicial information to the Circuit, Criminal, General Sessions, and Juvenile Courts; archiving public records; collecting and disbursing court fees; and maintaining the county\u2019s law library [7]. The office also issues arraignment notices, summons, subpoenas, and juror summons [7]. In 2024, Lynch\u2019s office implemented changes to service fees for sheriff-related services following the passage of state legislation (HB 1012/SB 1493) [7]. Effective January 1, 2026, clerk fees were adjusted pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated \u00a7 8-21-401 [7].\n\nPrior to his tenure as Circuit Court Clerk, Lynch served as the Mayor of Anderson County. He was elected to that position and easily re-elected to a fourth term in August 2010 [25]. His time as mayor ended abruptly in July 2012 when he resigned amid a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation probe [25]. Lynch had been indicted by a grand jury on nine counts, including seven felonies for sales tax fraud, one count of conflict of interest, and one count of official misconduct [25]. The indictment alleged that Lynch falsified vehicle transfer affidavits between 2007 and 2009 to receive personal benefit through the sale of vehicles to the Anderson County government via a third-party vendor [25]. Specifically, he was accused of lying on titles for a truck sold to a middleman in 2009, who then sold it to the county for $9,205 [25]. Lynch posted bond and was released from jail before resigning; his resignation letter stated he regretted the \"circumstances of my own making\" and apologized to the people of Anderson County [25].\n\nLynch is listed on the Tennessee Secretary of State\u2019s candidate lists for the 2026 election cycle [12]. He maintains an official office presence at 100 N. Main Street, Suite 301, in Clinton, TN, and can be contacted via email at rlynch@andersoncountytn.gov or rlynch@andersoncourts.org [7], [11].\n\n## Sources\n\n[7] [Circuit Court Clerk \u2013 Anderson County, Tennessee](https://andersoncountytn.gov/circuit-court-clerk/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-03\n[11] [Clerks | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts](https://tncourts.gov/clerks/all/all?tid=1) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-03\n[12] [Candidate Lists | Tennessee Secretary of State](https://sos.tn.gov/elections/2026-candidate-lists) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-03\n[25] [Anderson County Mayor Rex Lynch resigns](https://archive.knoxnews.com/news/local/anderson-county-mayor-rex-lynch-resigns-ep-406750454-358197791.html/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-03\n","firstname":"Rex","lastname":"Lynch","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"cwTV5TOrDI"},"token":"rex_lynch"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"circuit_court_clerk","o.office":null,"office":"circuit_court_clerk","officedescription":"The circuit court clerk keeps the records of the circuit court \u2014 and often the criminal and general-sessions courts \u2014 managing case files, collecting court costs and fines, and handling jury administration under the court's deadlines.","officequalities":"- Maintains records of the Circuit Court (general civil and criminal trial court); in many counties also responsible for jury management.\n- Records management in conformity with the Tennessee Rules of Civil/Criminal Procedure and the orders of the assigned judges.\n- Working knowledge of the court's docket, fee schedule, and pleading requirements.\n- Financial controls for collecting and disbursing court costs, fines, restitution, bonds, and trust funds \u2014 with public accountability.\n- Supervision of a clerical staff handling high case volume and frequent statutory deadlines.\n- Administrative reliability \u2014 the office's filings are legally binding and its records are evidence.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"Circuit Court Clerk","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-02","title":"Anderson County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://www.acelection.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/August-2026-Sample-Ballot.pdf"},"title":"Circuit Court Clerk"}