{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Johnny Bellis","chatgptsummary":"Johnny Bellis's biography shows he is a Republican candidate for the Tennessee State Executive Committee who met the March 10, 2026 filing deadline. The record contains no mention of prior party governance roles, knowledge of state election law, or coordination with county committees. Bio does not indicate experience in intra-party rules or convention management.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nJohnny Bellis is a candidate for Tennessee State Executive Committeeman in the 2026 Republican primary [1]. He qualified for the ballot by meeting the Secretary of State's deadline of March 10, 2026, at noon [1]. As of May 11, 2026, the outcome of this upcoming election remains unknown [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Candidate Lists | Tennessee Secretary of State](https://sos.tn.gov/elections/2026-candidate-lists)","firstname":"Johnny","lastname":"Bellis","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"NUkBAb8CJQ"},"token":"johnny_bellis"},{"candidatename":"Bob Hendry","chatgptsummary":"Bob Hendry's biography shows thirteen years of Marine Corps service and ownership of Tennessee businesses, alongside a 2022 congressional campaign that demonstrates familiarity with primary elections. The record contains no controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate experience in intra-party governance or knowledge of state party rules and ballot-access requirements.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nBob Hendry is a candidate for the Republican State Executive Committee, District 26, covering Chester, Fayette, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Lawrence, McNairy, and Wayne counties, on the ballot for the August 6, 2026 Republican primary [2]. The Tennessee Secretary of State's certified candidate list shows Hendry, of Moscow, Tennessee, met the March 10, 2026 qualifying deadline for the committeeman seat [2]. He previously ran for the Republican nomination for Tennessee's 8th Congressional District in 2022, losing that primary on August 4, 2022 [1].\n\nHendry identifies himself as a \"Conservative Warrior,\" \"Christian Patriot,\" and Marine Corps Veteran who advocates for an \"America First\" platform [3]. He states that he is fighting for conservative voices in West Tennessee to return government service to the people [6]. His 2022 congressional campaign platform included restoring parental authority in education, securing energy independence, establishing term limits for Congress, and ensuring election integrity [4]. In 2022, he became the first signer in his 8th District race to pledge support for a congressional term limits amendment through U.S. Term Limits [5].\n\n## Background and education\n\nBob Hendry is a Christian Patriot and Marine Corps Veteran who self-describes as a \"True Conservative Republican\" [3]. He states that he put down roots in Tennessee three decades ago with his wife, Tracy, where they raised seven children and have seven grandchildren [6].\n\nHendry graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis [6]. Following his graduation, he served thirteen years of active duty in the Marine Corps [6].\n\n## Career\n\nBob Hendry is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis who served thirteen years on active duty in the Marine Corps [6]. He self-describes as a Christian Patriot and Conservative Warrior [3][6].\n\nHendry has lived in Tennessee for three decades, where he raised seven children with his wife Tracy and has seven grandchildren [6]. He states that he and his wife own and operate businesses in the state [6].\n\n## Office history\n\nBob Hendry was a candidate in the 2022 Republican primary for the U.S. House of Representatives in Tennessee's 8th Congressional District, losing that race on August 4, 2022 [1]. Incumbent David Kustoff went on to win the general election for that seat later in 2022 [1]. Hendry has not previously held elected office. He is currently a candidate for the Republican State Executive Committee, District 26, on the August 6, 2026 primary ballot [2].\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\n\nHendry states that he and his wife Tracy own and operate their own businesses in Tennessee; the specific names of the enterprises, ownership stakes, or sources of wealth are not detailed in available records [6]. Hendry completed a Candidate Connection survey during his 2022 U.S. House run; Ballotpedia notes no biographical information or issue responses from that survey are publicly available [1].\n\n## Family\n\nHendry states that he and his wife Tracy raised seven children in Tennessee three decades ago and that the couple has seven grandchildren [6].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Bob Hendry - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Bob_Hendry)\n[2] [Candidates for Republican State Executive Committee, District 26 - Tennessee Secretary of State](https://sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com/s3fs-public/document/TNGOPSEC_Filed_2026-03-24.pdf) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n[3] [Bob Hendry Wants to Meet You! - Hatchie Press](https://hatchiepress.com/meet-bob-hendry-hickory-valley/)\n[4] [Bob Hendry | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/bob-hendry)\n[5] [Bob Hendry Pledges to Support Term Limits on Congress - U.S. Term Limits](https://termlimits.com/bob-hendry-pledges-to-support-term-limits-on-congress/)\n[6] [Bob Hendry, TN, US House, District 8 - Candidates - Defend Our Union](https://defendourunion.org/candidates/bob-hendry-tn-us-house-district-8)","firstname":"Bob","lastname":"Hendry","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"q9DgMemr5a"},"token":"bob_hendry"},{"candidatename":"Charles B. Watkins, Sr","chatgptsummary":"Charles B. Watkins Sr.'s biography shows active engagement in Fayette County public affairs and family ties to local Democratic leadership, relevant to intra-party governance. The record notes no controversies or disciplinary history. Bio does not indicate experience with state party rules or coordination with county committees.","notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nCharles B. Watkins is a candidate for District 2 of the Fayette County (Tennessee) Board of Education on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot. He has been publicly active on Fayette County school issues: at an August 2025 school board meeting he called on the board to host an information session on the district's federal desegregation consent order and its potential end [1].\n\n## Family\nCharles Watkins Sr. is the husband of Civil Miller-Watkins, a former Fayette County Public Schools board member and vice-chair who was the 2024 Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee; the couple have eight children and 10 grandchildren [2][3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Fayette Co. organizers call for spending boycott, demand transparency from county, school board - Tennessee Lookout](https://tennesseelookout.com/2025/08/21/fayette-co-organizers-call-for-spending-boycott-demand-transparency-from-county-school-board/) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Civil Miller-Watkins' Biography - Vote Smart](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/170414/civil-miller-watkins) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Tennessee Democrat Miller-Watkins runs for U.S. Senate - Nashville Banner](https://nashvillebanner.com/2024/07/20/senate-candidate-democrat-civil-miller-watkins/) - accessed 2026-07-23","firstname":"Charles","lastname":"Watkins","middlename":"B.","suffix":null,"token":"2gU0f19HZc"},"token":"charles_b_watkins_sr"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"party_exec_committee","o.office":null,"office":"tn_exec_committeeman_26","officedescription":"The State Executive Committee is the elected governing body of a Tennessee political party (Democratic or Republican). It is a party-organization office, not a government office \u2014 its members set party rules and organization, and are chosen by voters in that party's primary.","officequalities":"- Intra-party governance: the State Executive Committee is the elected governing body of a Tennessee political party, not a public office that legislates or administers government.\n- Working knowledge of party rules, conventions, ballot-access requirements, and how the party interacts with state election law.\n- Coordination with the party chair and county-level party committees.\n- This is a partisan party-organization role; voters in the party's primary choose the committee members. The qualities here describe party-organization fit, not government competency.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"State Executive Committee","partisan":1,"pgr":"primary","quantity":null,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"TN State Executive Committeeman District 26"}