Elections aren't over yet — here are the races to watch for August

The Republican primary this past Tuesday decided some races — the ones without any Democratic or independent candidates. The voters have already declared the de facto winners for the Sullivan and Hawkins counties' mayoral races, as well as the Hawkins' sheriff race. However, other races will continue to be competitive into the Aug. 6 general election. Sullivan County In Sullivan County's and Kingsport's general election, seven county races are contested Aug. 6. For District 1's Sullivan County Commission seat, Republican nominee Don Thompson, an Air Force veteran and physician unopposed in the primary, will square off with Democratic nominee Terry Marek and independent Hunter Woodall for one seat. Marek is the only Democrat on a county race ballot. He was unopposed in the commission primary, and is a Democratic state committeeman. In District 6, GOP nominees Matthew Johnson, Tim Pullon and Bob Harshbarger will square off with independents Ken Osborne and Jason Walden for three commission seats. Walden has indicated he is a Republican, but did not qualify as "bona fide." To be bona fide, a candidate must have voted in the last three of four Republican primaries in which they were eligible to vote. District 8's county commission race will see GOP nominees Stanley Hodges and incumbent Mark Ireson square off with independent Larry Mullinex for two seats. For District 11's county commission seat, GOP nominees and incumbents John Gardner and Hunter Locke, along with newcomer Republican Phillip Marshall — a Kingsport school board member — will face independents Joshua French and Zac Thomas for two seats. In the sheriff race, incumbent Republican and nominee Jeff Cassidy, who faced no GOP opposition, is challenged by independent Jamie Free. For county attorney, Republican nominee and lone GOP candidate Joshua Rose will face off with independent Carroll Christopher Raines. In Kingsport, the city school board race incumbent Republican nominees Brandon Fletcher and Melissa Woods will face independent Derrick Browder for two at-large seats. Also in Kingsport, non-partisan Mayor Paul Montgomery will face independent Tim Sanders. For aldermen, elected at large on a non-partisan basic, Julie Byers, Calvin Clifton, Richard Isaacs, Joshua B. McMillian and Tom Seglhorst seeking three at-large seats that are open. Back to Sullivan County, the mayoral race — won by Zane Vanover in the GOP primary over Angie Stanley — and commission races in districts 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10 are not contested. No Democrat, independent or write-in candidates qualified for the Aug. 6 general election. In other uncontested races, for positions held mostly by incumbents, are Trustee Angie Taylor, Circuit Court Clerk Bobby Russell, County Clerk Teresa Jacob and newcomer Commissioner of Highways GOP hopeful Craig Ramey. County school board Republican incumbents Paul Robinson in District 2, Matthew Hughes in District 4 and Chair Matthew Price seek reelection. All but the District 4 school board race were uncontested in the Republican primary. Hawkins County In Hawkins, the only countywide office with a competitive race in August is the superintendent of roads. Incumbent Danny Jones seeks reelection. He was unopposed in the Republican primary, receiving 6,014 votes — 92% of all votes cast in that race. The remaining nearly 8% of voters wrote in an uncertified candidate; the Hawkins County Election Commission does not release the names of write-ins. Jason Light, Church Hill's public works director, challenges him in the general election as an independent. Light has worked for the town of Church Hill since 2010, becoming its public works director in 2019. Voters will also elect a judge to the Third Judicial District Circuit Court, which serves Hawkins, Hancock, Hamblen and Greene counties. The vacancy was created earlier this year when Rogersville native William E. Phillips II was appointed to the Tennessee Court of Appeals. In late April, Mark Stapleton was appointed by Gov. Bill Lee to fill the vacancy in the meantime, before the election. He is running in the general election to keep the judgeship. Stapleton owns the Stapleton Law Office in Rogersville. He is a longtime resident of Hawkins and Hamblen counties, with 35 years of legal experience. Attorney Crystal Jessee challenges him. She operates the Jessee Law Office in Greeneville. She is a longtime resident of Greene and Hawkins counties with 20 years of legal experience. Jessee represents multiple upper East Tennessee counties in opioid and insulin litigation, and has advocated against the ExoticRidge Crypto Company's proposed bitcoin mine in Bulls Gap. The races for county commissioner are contested in district 2, 3 and 6. Voters must choose two candidates from their home district. District 2's Republican candidates are incumbent Jeff Barrett, who received the most votes Tuesday, and Randy Patterson. They will be joined by two independents on the August ballot. Steve Armstrong is the Hawkins County Emergency Management Agency's deputy director. Codie Pate is a Marine veteran and member of the United Citizens of Hawkins County; this group advocates for individual liberties and limited government, according to its website. In District 3, Stacy D. Vaughan is the Republican candidate, having been unopposed in the primary. He has a background in local law enforcement and was a county commissioner for 14 years in the early 2000s. Rodney Roberson, independent, is the Rogersville Housing Authority's executive director, with a background in education. Matthew Williams, independent, is the owner of Here! Hawkins County News. District 6's Republican candidates, uncontested in the primary, are Nancy Barker and Edwin Cope. Barker is an incumbent commissioner and the executive director of the Rogersville/Hawkins County Chamber of Commerce. Cope is a farmer and at-large member of the Hawkins County Planning Commission. Dane Chisholm is also running as an independent. He is a leader of the United Citizens of Hawkins County, a CDL driver and an Army veteran. Other races will be uncontested, except for any certified write-in candidates. State, federal There will also be state and federal primary races in August, going into the Nov. 3 general election. In Sullivan County, GOP state primary races will include one between outgoing Sullivan County Commissioner Jessica Means and incumbent District 1 state Rep. John Crawford, R-Kingsport. In District 2, newcomer Gary Stidham of Kingsport — who is not seeking reelection as District 6 county commissioner — is unopposed for the state House in August and will be again in November. In the state primary race for Republican Committeeman and Committeewoman, to be settled Aug. 6, the District 4 race in Sullivan and Hawkins counties will be incumbent Linda D. Buckles vs. Leah M. Bolton for committeewoman, with incumbent Matthew Johnson vs. challengers Michael Hannan and Dan Bolton for committeeman. On the Democratic side, state Committeeman Terry Marek is unopposed. But, Democratic Committeewoman Lori Love faces a challenge from Robin Davis Cleary, a Kingsport Chamber of Commerce employee. Love also is running for the District 3 state House seat, being the only Democrat on the ballot for that race, against incumbent Rep. Timorthy Hill, R-Blountville. Another Northeast Tennessee candidate on the ballot is U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-1st and of Kingsport. She is unopposed in the GOP primary. There are three Democrats running for nominee: Kristi Burke, Hernan Garcia and David Kerr Jr. The August winner will face Harshbarger in November. There's also the race for governor in the GOP among Marsha Blackburn, Monty Fritts and John Rose, as well as five Democrats: Carmita Atwater, Tim Cyr, Jerri Green, Adam "Ditch" Kartz and Kevin Lee McCurtis. The primary winners will face off in November. Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., faces no GOP challengers, but five are running in the Democratic primary: Marquita Bradshaw, Maria Brewer, Kevin Lee McCants, Civil Miller-Watckins and Diana Onyejiaka. Hagerty and the winning Democratic will face off in November. Editor's Note: This article was edited on May 9 because it incorrectly stated the first names for Republican Sullivan County Commissioner of Highways Republican hopeful Craig Ramey and independent District 6 Sullivan County Commission candidate Jason Walden.