The unofficial early voting and absentee results for the 2026 Roane County Republican Primary show several decisive leads in key local races. In the race for County Executive, incumbent Wade Creswell holds a commanding lead with 3,291 votes compared to Brian Mullins’ 1,288. For Sheriff, Tim Phillips has established a significant front-runner position with 3,499 votes over David Michael Laxton, who received 1,213. The contest for County Clerk is closer but shows Keaton Bowman leading Connie Cook with 2,470 votes to 1,979.

In the County Commission races, Ronald Berry, Chris Lehman, and Randy L. Kirby currently lead the field in District 1, while Chris Ahler, Junior Hendrickson, and Mike Kittrell are the top vote-getters in District 2. District 6 saw high engagement for its three seats, with Nancy Hamilton (1,021), David Brackett (986), and Ben Wilson (981) leading the pack. Other candidates running unopposed in their primary, such as Chris Mason for Trustee, Ann Goldston for Circuit Court Clerk, Sharon Brackett for Register of Deeds, and Greg Leffew for County Attorney, all maintained solid support with totals hovering around the 4,000-vote mark.

The School Board races highlight some gaps in the ballot; while Baron Tapp leads District 2 with 722 votes, Districts 1 and 3/4 had no qualified candidates on the ballot, resulting in a significant number of undervotes and scattered write-in activity. Across all categories, the vast majority of these unofficial totals were compiled from early voting, as Election Day and provisional ballots had not yet been fully integrated into this specific report.

Roane Early Voting