{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Gabe Howard","chatgptsummary":"Gabe Howard's biography shows relevant experience as a Maury County commissioner and small business owner, demonstrating familiarity with county operations and fiscal matters. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who credits military service for teaching discipline and leadership. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate executive management of multiple departments or specific crisis-management experience.","notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nGabe Howard is a Maury County commissioner representing District 8 and is running for Maury County mayor in 2026 as an independent [2][3]. He has said he is running as an independent \"because he believes the people should have a vote,\" arguing that a county mayor \"serves the entire county\" and that voters should choose in \"a broader, more open election\" [2]. He describes himself as \"not a career politician\" but \"a local businessman,\" and says his leadership would be \"Republican and conservative in principle\" and \"people-first in decision making\" [1]. His stated priorities include smart growth, infrastructure and water planning, fiscal responsibility, public safety, and farmland preservation [1][2].\n\n## Background and education\nHoward is a United States Marine Corps veteran who credits the military with teaching him \"discipline, leadership, and the importance of mission-first thinking\" [1]. He says \"faith and family are the foundation of my life\" [1].\n\n## Career\nHoward says he currently operates several small businesses in Maury County and believes this gives him practical understanding of how county government decisions affect \"job creators and families\" [1]. As a county commissioner he says he has served on key committees and been involved \"in the work that happens behind the scenes long before final votes are taken\" [1].\n\n## Family\nHoward says he has been married to his wife, Rachael, for 22 years and is raising four boys [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [About \u2014 Gabe Howard TN](https://www.gabehowardtn.com/about) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[2] [Gabe Howard to run for Maury County Mayor](https://mainstreetmediatn.com/articles/mainstreetmaury/gabe-howard-to-run-for-maury-county-mayor/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[3] [Gabe Howard | Maury County, TN (county commissioner page)](https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/185/Gabe-Howard) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22","firstname":"Gabe","lastname":"Howard","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"CO8JVuiFjz"},"token":"gabe_howard"},{"candidatename":"Sheila Butt","chatgptsummary":"Sheila Butt's biography shows eight years of Tennessee legislative service and current county mayoral experience, demonstrating executive management and intergovernmental coordination skills relevant to the role. A 2022 defamation lawsuit and a 2015 social media controversy regarding an organization's name are documented disputes. Bio does not indicate specific experience in preparing annual budgets or familiarity with county procurement rules.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nSheila Butt is the incumbent mayor of Maury County, Tennessee, elected August 4, 2022, and sworn in August 30, 2022, succeeding Andy Ogles [1]. She is running for re-election in 2026, and the Maury County Republican Party endorsed her in the mayor's race [4][5]. She has said her priorities include controlling growth while preserving the county's character and ensuring new development bears its own infrastructure costs [2].\n\n## Background and education\nButt was born November 20, 1951, in Rockford, Illinois [1]. She earned a Bachelor of Science cum laude in English with a history minor from East Tennessee State University and completed a 1980 Women's Certificate Program at Bear Valley School of Biblical Studies [1].\n\n## Career\nButt co-founded and managed S&S Bovine Images and Tennessee Cattle Business, served as a lecturer at Freed-Hardeman University, and was managing partner of MacInk Printers, Inc. [1]. She describes herself as \"a former business owner\" [2].\n\n## Office history\nButt represented District 64 in the Tennessee House of Representatives from January 2011 to January 2019, covering Columbia, Mount Pleasant, and Spring Hill, and served as Republican Majority Floor Leader [1]. She has cited hotel/motel tax legislation for Columbia and her 2015 opposition to the federal \"Waters of the U.S.\" rule among her legislative accomplishments [2].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\nIn June 2022, during the mayoral campaign, Butt was sued for defamation in Maury County Circuit Court by David Baker, a minister and former volunteer chaplain at the Maury County Jail, over text messages he alleged she sent to a Republican activist; the suit asserted she \"acted with actual malice with the intent of harming\" him [3]. As a state legislator, Butt drew criticism in 2015 for a social media post referencing the \"National Association for the Advancement of White People,\" which she later said she had intended as \"National Association for the Advancement of Western Peoples\" [1]. She also opposed rape and incest exceptions to abortion waiting periods, saying such cases are \"not verifiable,\" and in 2014 called for a state investigation into the Humane Society of the United States' fundraising practices [1].\n\n## Family\nButt is married to Stan R. Butt and has three sons [1]. One son, Kyle, directs Biblical research at Apologetics Press [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Sheila Butt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheila_Butt) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[2] [Candidate announcement: Sheila Butt for Maury County Mayor](https://mainstreetmediatn.com/articles/mainstreetmaury/candidate-announcement-sheila-butt-for-maury-county-mayor/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[3] [Former state lawmaker Sheila Butt sued for defamation (Tennessee Lookout)](https://tennesseelookout.com/briefs/former-state-lawmaker-sheila-butt-sued-for-defamation/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[4] [Candidates for office register with Maury County Election Commission](https://mainstreetmediatn.com/articles/mainstreetmaury/candidates-for-office-register-with-maury-county-election-commission/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[5] [Maury County GOP endorses Sheila Butt in county mayor's race](https://mainstreetmediatn.com/articles/mainstreetmaury/maury-county-gop-endorses-sheila-butt-in-county-mayors-race/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22","firstname":"Sheila","lastname":"Butt","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"rbqhOUO6Fw"},"token":"sheila_butt"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_mayor","o.office":null,"office":"county_mayor","officedescription":"The county mayor (county executive in some counties) is the county's chief executive and administrative officer. The mayor prepares the annual budget for the county commission, oversees the daily operation of county departments, and represents the county in intergovernmental dealings. It is an administrative office: the commission sets policy, the mayor runs the operation.","officequalities":"- Executive management of county government across departments such as roads, finance, planning, and emergency management.\n- Ability to prepare and defend an annual budget before the county commission.\n- Intergovernmental capacity: coordinating with the municipalities within the county, the State of Tennessee, and federal agencies.\n- Working familiarity with Tennessee county-government law, the county charter where one exists, and open-meetings and procurement rules.\n- Public-facing communication and, when needed, crisis-management skills.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County Mayor","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-19","title":"maury County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7240/Aug2026General"},"title":"County Mayor"}