{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"JAY COOPER","chatgptsummary":"Jay Cooper's biography shows he won a contested Republican primary for Fayette County Commissioner in May 2026 and faces no general election opposition. The record does not document prior experience with county budgeting, legislative drafting, or constituent case work required for the role. Bio does not indicate relevant policy judgment or continuing education experience.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJay Cooper is a Republican candidate for Fayette County Commissioner, District 8, Position 2, in Tennessee [1]. He won a contested May 5, 2026 Republican primary, defeating Jeff Fisher 132 votes to 67 (66.33% to 33.67%) [2]. No Democratic candidate qualified for the race, leaving Cooper unopposed for the August 6, 2026 Fayette County general election [2]. In campaign materials, Cooper describes his candidacy this way: \"I am running for Fayette County Commissioner, District 8, Position 2 and it is my desire to bring Christian family values into my leadership position, protecting our community's character with responsible growth and advocating for seniors, families, and local businesses. This campaign is about service - not politics.\" [3]\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Candidate Lists | Tennessee Secretary of State](https://sos.tn.gov/elections/2026-candidate-lists) - accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Fayette County Election Commission, 2026 Primary Election Summary Report](https://fayettetn.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26-5-5-Primary-Totals.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [Facebook campaign statement](https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10230027353123154&set=pcb.1960899541189412) - accessed 2026-07-06","firstname":"Jay","lastname":"Cooper","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"3TuhR64rQy"},"token":"jay_cooper"},{"candidatename":"ROBERT SILLS","chatgptsummary":"Robert Sills' biography shows relevant experience as a Fayette County Commissioner and Development Committee Chairman, demonstrating legislative process skills through motions on land use and budget items like the Bernard Community Center lease. He also serves on the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce. Bio does not indicate prior experience with multi-year bond issues or state-mandated continuing education completion.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"Robert Sills is a Republican candidate for Fayette County Commissioner District 8 Position 1 in Tennessee [6]. He currently serves on the Fayette County Commission, where he holds the position of Chairman of the Development Committee [9]. In this role, he made the motion to approve the lease for the Bernard Community Center, which subsequently passed [9]. Sills also served as the committee chairman for solar farm regulations during a commission meeting in August 2025 [9]. Regarding the Bernard Community Center, Sills stated that deferring the lease discussion allowed more time to gather information on the matter [8]. He is listed as a member of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce [6].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Fayette County, Tennessee Public Records & Documents Search | HomeInfoMax](https://www.homeinfomax.com/public/county-records/47047/tennessee/fayette)\n- [6] [Commissioner Robert Sills | Government - Fayette County Chamber \u2013 Fayette County Chamber](https://business.fayettecountychamber.com/list/member/commissioner-robert-sills-375)\n- [7] [Board of County Commissioners | Fayette County](https://fayettetn.us/county-boards-councils/county-commission/)\n- [8] [One year since \u2018temporary\u2019 closure, Mason\u2019s Bernard Community Center remains unused](https://www.yahoo.com/news/one-since-temporary-closure-mason-110006268.html)\n- [9] [County Commission approves Baptist Hospital development agreement; solar farm regulation changes \u2013 The Fayette Falcon](https://www.fayettefalcon.com/2025/09/03/county-commission-approves-baptist-hospital-development-agreement-solar-farm-regulation-changes/)\n- [10] [One year since 'temporary' closure, Mason's Bernard Community Center remains unused \u2022 Tennessee Lookout](https://tennesseelookout.com/2024/12/09/one-year-since-temporary-closure-masons-bernard-community-center-remains-unused/)","firstname":"Robert","lastname":"Sills","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"6Qtvvk1Csy"},"token":"robert_sills"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_commissioner","o.office":null,"office":"county_commission_district_8","officedescription":"A county commissioner is a member of the county's legislative body. The commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, authorizes borrowing, and passes county resolutions and ordinances. Commissioners are elected from districts (or at-large seats) to represent constituents on countywide policy.","officequalities":"- Policy judgment on countywide matters \u2014 budget, taxes, land use, services, and intergovernmental issues \u2014 within Tennessee county-government law.\n- Budget literacy: the commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, and authorizes multi-year bond issues.\n- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on resolutions and ordinances; committee work that pre-screens items.\n- Constituent relations in the district \u2014 case-work and community issues flow through the commissioner's office.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required annual continuing education through UT CTAS.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County Commissioner","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-22","title":"Fayette County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://fayettetn.us/departments/election/sample-ballots-8-6-26/"},"title":"County Commission District 8 Position 1"}