{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Barry Beeler","chatgptsummary":"Barry Beeler's biography shows a Master's in Public Health and twenty-seven years as a safety professional, offering technical background relevant to land use and budget literacy for Knox County Commission District 7. He currently serves as Secretary of the local Republican Party, indicating familiarity with party structures but not direct legislative experience. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate experience in drafting ordinances or managing constituent casework for a district of 70,000 residents.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"Barry Beeler is a Republican candidate running for Knox County Commission District 7 in the May 5, 2026 primary election [6]. He describes himself as a lifelong Knox County resident and a Christian conservative [7]. Currently, he serves as the Secretary of the Knox County Republican Party [5].\n\nBeeler\u2019s educational background includes an undergraduate degree in Biology from Tennessee Wesleyan University, where he was elected team captain for baseball and served as student government president during his senior year [5]. He also holds a Master's degree in Public Health with a concentration in Occupational, Environmental, Health and Safety from the University of Tennessee [5].\n\nProfessionally, Beeler has 27 years of experience as a safety and industrial hygiene professional [5]. His campaign platform emphasizes low taxes, limited government, fiscal responsibility, and traditional East Tennessee Christian values [7]. He pledges to challenge reckless development that burdens taxpayers and to advocate for reasonable public utility rates [7].\n\nBeeler resides in Powell with his wife, Staci, and is active in the Watchmen and GriefShare ministries at Calvary Knoxville [5]. He attended Rocky Hill Elementary School, Bearden Middle School, and Bearden High School in West Knox County [5].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Tennessee elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Tennessee_elections,_2026)\n- [2] [Tennessee gubernatorial election, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Tennessee_gubernatorial_election,_2026)\n- [3] [Candidate Lists | Tennessee Secretary of State](https://sos.tn.gov/elections/2026-candidate-lists)\n- [4] [2026 Tennessee gubernatorial election - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Tennessee_gubernatorial_election)\n- [5] [Meet Barry | Barry Beeler](https://www.votebarrybeeler.com/)\n- [6] [Meet Knox County Commission candidates for District 3 and 7 - Knox TN Today](https://www.knoxtntoday.com/meet-knox-county-commission-candidates-for-district-3-and-7/)\n- [7] [Barry Beeler Hits the Campaign Trail in Knox County](https://www.knoxvilledailysun.com/news/2026/january/barry-beeler-hits-the-campaign-trail.html)\n- [9] [Barry Beeler, Tennessee (11 matches): Phone Number, Email, Address - Spokeo](https://www.spokeo.com/Barry-Beeler/Tennessee)\n- [11] [Barry Beeler Address, Phone Number, Email Address - YellowBook](https://www.yellowbook.com/people/barry-beeler/)","firstname":"Barry","lastname":"Beeler","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"ouIeZFmLjR"},"token":"barry_beeler"},{"candidatename":"William Cooper","chatgptsummary":"The biography shows William Cooper is a Republican candidate for Knox County Commission District 7 but provides no details on his professional background or prior elected service relevant to county governance. Public records do not link him to local policy work, budget management, legislative drafting, or constituent relations in Tennessee. Bio does not indicate experience with county budgeting or district-level case work.","notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"William Cooper is a Republican candidate running for Knox County Commission District 7 in Tennessee, with the primary election scheduled for May 5, 2026 [11]. He is one of four candidates listed for this specific district seat, alongside Barry Beeler, Buddy Burkhardt, and Justin Mash [11].\n\nPublicly available information does not provide a detailed professional biography or prior elected office history for this specific William Cooper in the context of Knox County politics. The Ballotpedia entry for a \"William Cooper\" describes a member of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency Board of Directors in California, who was re-elected in 2022 [1]. This individual is geographically and politically distinct from the Tennessee candidate.\n\nAnother public figure named Bill Cooper served as General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy and previously worked on Capitol Hill and in the private energy sector [6]. He is a native of Tennessee but currently resides in Maryland, and there is no evidence linking him to this local county commission race [6]. Additionally, William Cooper Nell was a 19th-century abolitionist and historian from Boston, who is not relevant to this contemporary election [3].\n\nThe Knox County Commission District 7 seat requires the incumbent or winner to represent the residents of that specific district on the county commission. The primary election will determine which Republican candidate advances to the general election for this local office [11].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [William Cooper - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/William_Cooper)\n- [2] [Tennessee elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Tennessee_elections,_2026)\n- [3] [William Cooper Nell (U.S. National Park Service)](https://www.nps.gov/people/william-cooper-nell.htm)\n- [4] [Candidate Lists | Tennessee Secretary of State](https://sos.tn.gov/elections/2026-candidate-lists)\n- [5] [Candidate Information | Williamson County, TN - Official Site](https://www.williamsoncounty-tn.gov/1743/Candidate-Information)\n- [6] [Bill Cooper | Department of Energy](https://www.energy.gov/gc/person/bill-cooper)\n- [7] [2026 Tennessee gubernatorial election - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Tennessee_gubernatorial_election)\n- [11] [Meet Knox County Commission candidates for District 3 and 7 - Knox TN Today](https://www.knoxtntoday.com/meet-knox-county-commission-candidates-for-district-3-and-7/)","firstname":"William","lastname":"Cooper","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"nClYMteBGz"},"token":"william_cooper"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":"7","districtgroup":"county_commission","districtgroupname":"County Commission","districtname":"District 7","job_type":"county_commissioner","o.office":"county_commission_district_7","office":"county_commission_district_7","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 7","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-19","title":"knox County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://www.knoxcounty.org/election/pdfs/General%20Sample%20Ballot_08.06.26.pdf"},"title":"County Commission District 7"}