{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"BEN W. DANNER","chatgptsummary":"Ben W. Danner's biography shows twenty years of executive management and budget oversight within Overton County government, including eight years as county executive and twelve years on the county commission. This background demonstrates familiarity with Tennessee county law, intergovernmental coordination, and public communication. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate experience in crisis management or federal agency relations.","notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nBen W. Danner is an independent candidate for Overton County Executive on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot, running against Republican nominee Austin Dodson and independent Randall Stockton [1][2]. A former county executive seeking to return to the office, his campaign highlights \"20 years of conservative County Government leadership experience\" [3]. He took part in a nonpartisan County Executive candidate forum hosted by the Livingston Civic and Garden Club on July 9, 2026 [1].\n\n## Office history\nDanner previously served Overton County government for roughly two decades, including about 12 years as county commissioner for the 5th District and about eight years as Overton County Executive, a tenure that ended in 2022 [4][5]. He is not the current officeholder; Steven Barlow holds the county executive seat as of 2026 [6].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [OCN to livestream candidate forum - Overton County News](https://www.overtoncountynews.com/news/ocn-to-livestream-candidate-forum/article_3def94b6-c867-4aa2-b375-5f9ce51f1f32.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Overton County August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot (PDF)](https://overtonvotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TNOVEPG6_SampleInfinityBallot.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Re-elect Ben Danner Overton County Executive - Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/p/Re-elect-Ben-Danner-Overton-County-Executive-100081497616130/) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [Danner announces re-election for Overton County Executive - Overton County News](https://www.overtoncountynews.com/news/local_state/danner-announces-re-election-for-overton-county-executive/article_f6189aac-c005-11ec-a0ac-fb4495e5d4b0.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[5] [Danner, Phipps end run on County Commission - Overton County News](https://www.overtoncountynews.com/news/danner-phipps-end-run-on-county-commission/article_ccc6ffa8-1817-11ed-bdaa-4719d1e14b4f.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[6] [Officials - Overton County, Tennessee](https://overtoncountytn.gov/officials/) - accessed 2026-07-23","firstname":"BEN","lastname":"DANNER","middlename":"W.","suffix":null,"token":"XjSOoCk8Cu"},"token":"ben_w_danner"},{"candidatename":"AUSTIN DODSON","chatgptsummary":"Austin Dodson's biography shows seven to eight years of intensive care nursing and experience as a real estate investor and business owner in Overton County. These roles demonstrate personal financial management and familiarity with local commerce but do not document executive administration of county departments, budget preparation before the county commission, or intergovernmental coordination with state and federal agencies. The record contains no mention of disciplinary actions or controversies. Bio does not indicate experience managing public budgets or knowledge of Tennessee county-government law.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nAustin Dodson is the Republican nominee for Overton County Executive on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot [4]. He won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary with about 48 percent of the vote, advancing past Gregg Nivens and Steven Barlow [3]. In his first run for public office he campaigns on \"integrity, accountability, and conservative values,\" fiscal discipline, competitive bidding, hiring qualified applicants, moving public comment to the beginning of County Commission meetings, and support for volunteer fire departments, EMS, and small business [1][2].\n\n## Background and education\nDodson was born and raised in Overton County on his family's century-old farm and resides in Rickman [1][2]. He graduated from Livingston Academy in 2015 and earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Tennessee Technological University's Whitson-Hester School of Nursing in three and a half years [1][2]. He is enrolled in Tennessee Tech's Master of Science in Nursing program to become an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner [1].\n\n## Career\nDodson has worked roughly seven to eight years as a registered nurse in the intensive care unit at Cookeville Regional Medical Center [1][2]. He is also a real estate investor and business owner with commercial property in Overton County, and earlier held entry-level jobs at the Rickman Marathon and Dollar General [1].\n\n## Family\nHe is the son of Ricky and Paige Dodson; his father, Ricky B. Dodson, is the incumbent Overton County School Board member for District 4 and a candidate on the same 2026 ballot [2][4].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [About - Austin Dodson For OCE](https://www.dodsonoce.com/about) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Austin Dodson seeks election as County Executive - Overton County News](https://www.overtoncountynews.com/news/local_state/austin-dodson-seeks-election-as-county-executive/article_e7c06b61-c068-4d6d-9b2b-f6e4c7c8feb7.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Overton County Executive Dodson Advances To August - The UCNow](https://theucnow.com/2026/05/05/overton-county-executive-dodson-advances-to-august/) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [Overton County August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot (PDF)](https://overtonvotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TNOVEPG6_SampleInfinityBallot.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-23","firstname":"AUSTIN","lastname":"DODSON","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"nyEQrxSN3O"},"token":"austin_dodson"},{"candidatename":"RANDALL STOCKTON","chatgptsummary":"Randall Stockton's biography shows executive management experience through business ownership and upper-management roles involving team leadership and budget management, alongside public safety familiarity from joining the fire department at age 18. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary history. Bio does not indicate specific experience with Tennessee county-government law or intergovernmental coordination with state and federal agencies.","notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nRandall Stockton is an independent candidate for Overton County Executive on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot, in a three-way race with Republican nominee Austin Dodson and independent Ben Danner [2][3]. His stated priorities are \"responsible leadership, sound decision-making, strong public safety, economic opportunity, and a county government that remains accessible and accountable to its citizens,\" and he pledges to make his phone number public for constituents [1].\n\n## Background and education\nStockton is the son of Harold and Brenda Jean Stockton and was raised in Overton County with values of \"faith, hard work, integrity, and service to others\" [1]. He inherited his family's multigenerational farm in neighboring Pickett County but chose to leave it and commit to Overton County, which he calls \"one of the most meaningful decisions of my life\" [1].\n\n## Career\nStockton says that at age 20 he \"owned my first business while attending college full-time and working a full-time job,\" and has since either owned businesses or held upper-management positions involving team leadership, budget management, and decision-making [1]. He joined the fire department at 18 and has been active in community efforts including organizing Pioneer Days, downtown improvement projects, and maintaining the town's lights [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Randall Stockton seeks election as County Executive - Overton County News](https://www.overtoncountynews.com/news/local_state/randall-stockton-seeks-election-as-county-executive/article_5e2ef588-20f3-42cb-a844-1931ea3b13bd.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Overton County August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot (PDF)](https://overtonvotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TNOVEPG6_SampleInfinityBallot.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [OCN to livestream candidate forum - Overton County News](https://www.overtoncountynews.com/news/ocn-to-livestream-candidate-forum/article_3def94b6-c867-4aa2-b375-5f9ce51f1f32.html) - accessed 2026-07-23","firstname":"RANDALL","lastname":"STOCKTON","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"s1fHqWvO3I"},"token":"randall_stockton"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_mayor","o.office":null,"office":"county_executive","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":"2026-07-20","title":"overton County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://overtonvotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TNOVEPG6_SampleInfinityBallot.pdf"},"title":"County Executive"}