{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Shannon Haynes","chatgptsummary":"Shannon Haynes currently serves as a committee woman for District 25 on the Tennessee State Executive Committee and leads the \"Come Home Tennessee\" initiative at the Ayers Foundation Trust. Her biography documents no controversies or disciplinary records. Bio does not indicate prior experience in intra-party governance rules or coordination with county-level party committees.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nShannon Haynes is a Republican candidate for the Tennessee State Executive Committee in District 25 [1]. She qualified for the ballot following the March 10, 2026, deadline established by the Tennessee Secretary of State [1].\n\nIn May 2024, Haynes announced that she would be leaving her position at Emmaus Consulting PLLC to take on a new role at the Ayers Foundation Trust [2]. In this capacity, she leads the \"Come Home Tennessee\" initiative, which aims to attract educated scholars back to rural areas of the state to work and raise families [2].\n\n## Background and education\n\nShannon Haynes self-describes as having spent a decade working to protect access to healthcare in rural areas [2]. She previously served with Emmaus Consulting PLLC, focusing on service to rural Tennesseans [2]. In 2024, she announced her move into a new role at the Ayers Foundation Trust to lead their \"Come Home Tennessee\" effort, which aims to bring educated scholars back to rural communities to work and raise families [2].\n\n## Career\n\nPrior to joining the Ayers Foundation Trust, Haynes spent a decade working to protect access to healthcare in rural areas through her firm, Emmaus Consulting PLLC [2]. In February 2024, she announced that she would be moving into a new role at the Ayers Foundation Trust [2].\n\nIn this capacity, Haynes leads the \"Come Home Tennessee\" initiative, which aims to bring educated scholars back to rural Tennessee to work and raise families in their home communities [2]. The statewide initiative was launched on September 6 to support rural economic growth [4]. Haynes is listed as the contact for the Scholars team at the organization [3].\n\n## Office history\n\nShannon Haynes served as a committee woman for the 25th Republican Primary District on the Tennessee State Executive Committee [1].\n\nHaynes self-describes having spent a decade working to protect access to healthcare in rural areas through her work at Emmaus Consulting PLLC before moving into a new role at the Ayers Foundation Trust to oversee their \"Come Home Tennessee\" effort [2].\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\n\nShannon Haynes served as the Alumni Contact for the Ayers Foundation Trust, a private trust based in Parsons, Tennessee, which reported total assets of $5.1 million and annual income of $6.6 million in records from 2023 [5]. In this role, she managed communications for the organization\u2019s alumni network, distinct from the general contact handled by Raquel Stearnes or the scholars contact managed by Taylor Forbes [3].\n\nHaynes previously spent a decade working with Emmaus Consulting PLLC to protect access to healthcare in rural areas before transitioning to her position at the Ayers Foundation Trust in 2024 [2]. In this new capacity, she oversees the \"Come Home Tennessee\" initiative, which aims to bring educated scholars back to rural Tennessee to work and raise families in their home communities [2]. The initiative was launched by the Ayers Foundation Trust in September 2023 alongside Governor Bill Lee and founders Jim and Janet Ayers to reduce economic distress in at-risk counties [4]. Haynes states that she is looking forward to serving at-risk and distressed areas through this effort, which connects graduates of the Ayers Scholars Program with regional employers and remote employment options [2], [6].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Candidate Lists | Tennessee Secretary of State](https://sos.tn.gov/elections/2026-candidate-lists)\n[2] [Shannon Haynes on LinkedIn: #gratitude #comehometennessee #comehometn #ayersscholars #tennessee\u2026 | 13 comments](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/shannon-haynes-0aa8922_gratitude-comehometennessee-comehometn-activity-7062948395044245504-TWoy?trk=public_profile_like_view)\n[3] [Contact - Ayers Foundation Trust](https://ayersfoundationtrust.org/contact/)\n[4] [Ayers Foundation Trust launches Come Home Tennessee Initiative for Rural Economic Growth \u2013 Chester County Independent](https://chestercountyindependent.com/ayers-foundation-trust-launches-come-home-tennessee-initiative-for-rural-economic-growth/)\n[5] [Ayers Foundation Trust | Granted AI](https://grantedai.com/foundations/ayers-foundation-trust-1915)\n[6] [Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Ayers Foundation Launch Initiative for Rural Economic Growth - Tennessee Star](https://tennesseestar.com/news/tennessee-governor-bill-lee-and-ayers-foundation-launch-initiative-for-rural-economic-growth/hpoling/2023/09/10/)","firstname":"Shannon","lastname":"Haynes","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"FkwzeekdVF"},"token":"shannon_haynes"},{"candidatename":"Tina Mercer","chatgptsummary":"Mercer's twenty years in nonprofit leadership and current service as a Madison County Commissioner demonstrate relevant experience in intra-party governance and coordination with local committees. Her tenure on the State Executive Committee shows familiarity with party rules and ballot-access requirements. Bio does not indicate prior experience managing state-level convention logistics or direct work with Tennessee election law statutes.","notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nTina Mercer is running for re-election to the Tennessee Democratic Party State Executive Committee, representing District 25. The election is scheduled for August 6, 2026.\n\nOn the State Executive Committee, Mercer has focused on strengthening local Democratic Party organizations, increasing civic engagement, encouraging participation among young voters, and supporting Democratic candidates committed to improving their communities.\n\n## Career\nMercer has more than 20 years of experience in finance, consulting, community development, and nonprofit leadership. She also serves as a Madison County Commissioner, representing District 1, Position 1.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Mercer announces re-election campaign for Tennessee Democratic Party State Executive Committee, District 25 \u2013 WBBJ TV](https://www.wbbjtv.com/2026/06/11/mercer-announces-re-election-campaign-tennessee-democratic-party-state-executive-committee-district-25/)\n","firstname":"Tina","lastname":"Mercer","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"hvIrjJrK5r"},"token":"tina_mercer"},{"candidatename":"Sabrina Parker","chatgptsummary":"Sabrina Parker's biography shows extensive experience in legislative operations and staff management through over two decades at the Center for Applied Linguistics and Capitol Hill service as Deputy Chief of Staff. Her background includes coordinating complex logistics and supporting elected officials, which relates to intra-party governance and coordination duties. The record contains no mention of disciplinary actions or controversies. Bio does not indicate experience with party rules, conventions, or ballot-access requirements.","notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"## Career\n\nSabrina Parker has supported the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) for over 21 years [1]. In her role as Senior Manager of Operations at CAL, she oversees the organization's internal and external operations infrastructure and manages its onsite and cloud-based activities [1].\n\nPrior to her tenure at CAL, Parker served in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she worked for Congressman Tom Cole since 2011 [3]. She previously held positions as a Constituent Representative, Intern Coordinator, and Legislative Correspondent for Senator Jim Inhofe before joining Cole\u2019s team as an Executive Assistant [3]. By March 2025, Parker was serving as Deputy Chief of Staff in Cole\u2019s D.C. office [2]. During her time on Capitol Hill, she was recognized as the \"Unsung Hero of Capitol Hill\" for her work managing logistics and support functions for Cole\u2019s office [4].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [Sabrina Parker - Center for Applied Linguistics](https://www.cal.org/staff_directory/sabrina-parker/)\n[2] [Sabrina Parker - Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) (March 2025-), Deputy Chief of Staff - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/4720/Sabrina_M_Parker.html)\n[3] [Cole Announces Changes to D.C. Office Staff | Representative Tom Cole](https://cole.house.gov/media/press-releases/cole-announces-changes-dc-office-staff)\n[4] [Cole Staff Member Named Unsung Hero of Capitol Hill | Representative Tom Cole](https://cole.house.gov/media/press-releases/cole-staff-member-named-unsung-hero-capitol-hill)","firstname":"Sabrina","lastname":"Parker","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"3n6kV7kG1s"},"token":"sabrina_parker"},{"candidatename":"Lee Eddleman","chatgptsummary":"Lee Eddleman's biography shows she filed for the Tennessee State Executive Committee seat in District 25 and met signature requirements by March 10, 2026. 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 with intra-party rules or convention procedures.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nLee Eddleman is a Republican candidate for Tennessee State Executive Committeewoman, District 25, which covers Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Henderson, Lake, Madison, and Perry counties [1]. She filed for the seat from Humboldt by the March 10, 2026 qualifying deadline, and her petition's required signatures were approved, per the Tennessee Secretary of State's official Republican State Executive Committee candidate list published March 24, 2026 [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Candidates for Republican State Executive Committee as of March 24, 2026 - Tennessee Secretary of State](https://sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com/s3fs-public/document/TNGOPSEC_Filed_2026-03-24.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-20","firstname":"Lee","lastname":"Eddleman","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"AmQRO7u5aP"},"token":"lee_eddleman"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"party_exec_committee","o.office":null,"office":"tn_exec_committeewoman_25","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 Committeewoman District 25"}