{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"SCOTT STEWART","chatgptsummary":"Scott Stewart's twenty-three-year tenure as a Hawkins County Sheriff's Office employee includes roles in corrections, patrol, investigations, and narcotics task forces, demonstrating relevant law-enforcement experience for jail oversight and interagency coordination. He also holds an EMT license and has volunteered with rescue squads for over two decades. Bio does not indicate experience in developing operating budgets or direct organizational leadership of the entire sheriff's office.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nScott Stewart is the Republican nominee for Hawkins County Sheriff on the August 6, 2026 ballot, running unopposed after winning a five-way GOP primary in May 2026 [1][2]. Stewart declared his candidacy on November 18, 2025 [3] and ran on the slogans \"No Excuses,\" \"No Hugs For Thugs,\" and \"A First Responder. Not A Politician,\" emphasizing rapid response, visible leadership, and proactive enforcement [1][4][5]. He has said he wants residents to expect to see the sheriff or chief deputy responding to calls, and plans a more hands-on approach than his predecessor [4].\n\n## Background and education\nStewart earned his EMT license through Walters State Community College and has volunteered with the Hawkins County Rescue Squad for more than 25 years, along with local fire departments; his grandfather, Gale Carpenter, helped establish the Rescue Squad in 1958 [5].\n\n## Career\nStewart joined the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office in 2003 and has since served as a corrections officer, patrol deputy, school resource officer at Volunteer High School, investigator, and narcotics agent with the Third Judicial District Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, where he is currently assistant director [3][4][5]. He has been a sworn FBI Task Force Officer since 2018 [5]. Stewart has described his Drug Task Force and FBI Task Force work as the most formative parts of his career, and said he would likely have finished in task-force work had he not run for sheriff [4].\n\n## Office history\nIn the May 5, 2026 Republican primary, Stewart won 3,405 votes (about 40.5% of 8,402 cast), defeating Chief Deputy Tony Allen (1,896), David Good (1,676), and two other candidates [1][2]. He held roughly a 500-vote early-voting lead over the second-place finisher [1]. Stewart will succeed four-term Sheriff Ronnie Lawson, who announced in September 2025 that he would not seek re-election, making Stewart the first new Hawkins County sheriff in 16 years [6].\n\n## Family\nStewart is married to LeAnn Stewart and is a grandfather; the couple attends The Bridge Church in Rogersville [5].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [No excuses: Stewart wins primary, Linkous unseats DeWitte (Rogersville Review)](https://www.therogersvillereview.com/news/article_f3f7b9f3-e7c6-4839-9584-7f87024cae4a.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18\n[2] [Scott Stewart secures nomination for Hawkins County sheriff (WJHL)](https://www.wjhl.com/news/your-local-election-hq/scott-stewart-secures-nomination-for-hawkins-county-sherif/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18\n[3] [Hawkins voters have plenty of options (Rogersville Review)](https://www.therogersvillereview.com/news/article_a72b5833-32a6-408c-84a9-21f45511c5f5.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18\n[4] [One on one with unopposed Hawkins County Sheriff candidate Scott Stewart (WCYB)](https://wcyb.com/news/local/one-on-one-with-unopposed-hawkins-county-sheriff-candidate-scott-stewart) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18\n[5] [Scott Stewart For Sheriff \u2014 campaign site](https://www.stewart4sheriff.com/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18\n[6] [Scott Stewart to be Hawkins' first new sheriff in 16 years (Kingsport Times News)](https://timesnews.net/news/371964/scott-stewart-to-be-hawkins-first-new-sheriff-in-16-years/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18","firstname":"SCOTT","lastname":"STEWART","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"bSlvwCYGeU"},"token":"scott_stewart"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"sheriff","o.office":null,"office":"sheriff","officedescription":"The sheriff is the county's chief law-enforcement officer. The office operates the county jail, provides court security, serves civil process and executes warrants, and provides patrol and investigation \u2014 a large operational command with a substantial budget.","officequalities":"- Organizational leadership of a sheriff's office spanning patrol, investigations, court services, and the county jail.\n- Oversight of the county jail, including intake, inmate health, and release procedures.\n- Working knowledge of Tennessee criminal law, court process, and constitutional search-and-seizure standards.\n- Ability to develop and oversee the office's operating budget with public accountability.\n- Coordination with municipal police departments and neighboring-county and state agencies.\n- A documented law-enforcement or public-safety background.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"Sheriff","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-18","title":"Hawkins County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://www.hawkinscountytn.gov/pdfs/elections/sample_ballot.pdf"},"title":"Sheriff"}