{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Joseph \"Joe\" Graham","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJoseph \"Joe\" Graham is the Republican incumbent Hamilton County commissioner for District 11, covering Lookout Mountain, Lookout Valley, St. Elmo, Alton Park, East Lake, part of Missionary Ridge, and a small section of Brainerd [1]. He ran unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary and is seeking a fourth term on the commission [2]. He advances to the August 6, 2026 general election in a rematch against Democrat Montrell Besley, a small-business owner who also ran unopposed in his party's primary [1][3]. Graham defeated Besley by a few dozen votes in their first matchup in 2022 [1].\n\n## Background and education\nGraham, 60, has been married to his high school sweetheart for more than 36 years; they have four children and three grandchildren [1].\n\n## Office history\nGraham was first elected to the Hamilton County Commission in 2010, representing a different seat covering parts of Red Bank, North Chattanooga and Lookout Valley, and served two terms before losing to Democrat David Sharpe in 2018 [1]. He returned to the commission by winning the newly drawn District 11 seat in 2022 [1][3].\n\n## Career\nGraham is a local businessman and president of the Lookout Valley Neighborhood Association [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Commissioner Joe Graham Seeking Re-Election To Continue Serving Hamilton County District 11 - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2025/11/25/511780/Commissioner-Joe-Graham-Seeking.aspx) - accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Who's on the ballot? Hamilton County Commission to see six contested races in August - Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2026/jun/27/whos-on-the-ballot-hamilton-county-commission-to/) - accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [Joe Graham, District 11 Commissioner - Hamilton County Government](https://www.hamiltontn.gov/District11.aspx) - accessed 2026-07-06","firstname":"Joseph","lastname":"Graham","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"OHcGXnEhRi"},"token":"joseph_joe_graham"},{"candidatename":"Montrell Besley","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"Montrell Besley is a Democrat running for Hamilton County Commission District 11 in Tennessee [3]. He is a Chattanooga native and resident of the Alton Park community [10]. Besley holds a Bachelor\u2019s degree in Health and Human Performance and a Master\u2019s degree in Public and Community Health from Austin Peay State University [4]. His professional background includes serving as a health and physical education teacher at Woodmore Elementary School since August 2015 [1]. He has also worked as the director of Community Engagement at Chattanooga Preparatory School, a position he held as of 2020 [9]. Additionally, Besley is a small business owner who launched Chattanooga Rolling Video Games, a mobile video gaming theater service [11].\n\nBesley\u2019s political career began with a run for the Hamilton County Board of Education District 4 seat in 2016. He lost that general election to Tiffanie Robinson, receiving 23.89% of the vote [1]. In 2022, Besley launched a campaign for the newly created Hamilton County Commission District 11 seat following redistricting [3]. The district includes areas such as Lookout Mountain and Alton Park [3]. He finished third in the Democratic primary for that seat [8].\n\nIn the current cycle, Besley is seeking re-election to Hamilton County Commission District 11. He previously faced Republican incumbent Joe Graham in a general election rematch four years ago, losing by 20 votes [5]. Besley is now challenging Graham again in the upcoming election [5].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Montrell Besley - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Montrell_Besley)\n- [2] [Hamilton County School District elections (2016) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Hamilton_County_School_District_elections_(2016))\n- [3] [Montrell Besley Seeks New County Commission District 11 Seat - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2021/12/10/439836/Montrell-Besley-Seeks-New-County.aspx)\n- [4] [Montrell Besley running in new District 11 Hamilton County Commission seat | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2022/jan/13/montrell-besley/561400/)\n- [5] [Besley set to challenge Graham in rematch for Hamilton County Commission seat | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2026/feb/15/besley-set-to-challenge-graham-in-rematch-for/)\n- [7] [Chattanooga Times announces Hamilton County Board of Education endorsements | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2016/jul/10/sohn-school-board-needs-newer-younger-faces/)\n- [8] [Four Hamilton County Commission races decided in primary election | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2022/may/04/four-hamiltcounty-commissiraces-decided-prima/)\n- [9] [Boys & Girls Clubs Of Chattanooga Names Montrell Besley And Jay Morgan To Board Of Directors - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2020/3/5/405199/Boys--Girls-Clubs-Of-Chattanooga-Names.aspx)\n- [10] [Montrell Besley Kicks Off Campaign For School Board - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2016/4/29/323199/Montrell-Besley-Kicks-Off-Campaign-For.aspx)\n- [11] [Entrepreneur Spotlight: Montrell Besley](https://launchchattanooga.org/examples/entrepreneur/34)\n- [12] [Opinion: Voter turnout will be key in District 11 Hamilton County Commission, school board races | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/opinion/freepress/story/2022/jun/16/opinion-voter-turnout-will-be-key-district-11/571023/)","firstname":"Montrell","lastname":"Besley","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"IZz3Lz4U32"},"token":"montrell_besley"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":"11","districtgroup":"county_commission","districtgroupname":"County Commission","districtname":"District 11","job_type":"county_commissioner","o.office":"county_commission_district_11","office":"county_commission_district_11","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, intergovernmental \u2014 within Tennessee county-government law and the Shelby County Charter.\n- Budget literacy: the 13-member commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, and authorizes bond issues that span decades.\n- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on resolutions and ordinances; chairing or sitting on committees that pre-screen items.\n- Constituent relations in a single-member district of roughly 70,000 residents \u2014 case-work and community issues flow through the commissioner's office.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required seven hours of annual continuing education through UT CTAS.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County Commission District 11","partisan":1,"pgr":"primary","quantity":null,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"County Commission District 11"}