James Macon III

James Macon III is an independent candidate for U.S. Senate in Tennessee who describes himself as a global business strategist with more than 25 years of Fortune 500 leadership experience, a former journalist and a former pastor. He says he is running on lower costs, better jobs and stronger communities.[1][2]

Macon graduated from East St. Louis Senior High School, according to Ballotpedia, and holds graduate degrees from Northern Illinois University (2002) and the University of Tennessee (2005), which he says are an MA and an MBA, respectively.[1][2] Ballotpedia lists service in the U.S. Air National Guard in 2010.[2] He says he is a Senior Director at Stryker, with prior executive roles at Medtronic and Wright Medical, and more than 25 years of Fortune 500 leadership experience.[1]

Macon says his background includes five years as a journalist, including for CNN, and a decade of church leadership as a pastor, administrative pastor and educator.[1] He says he has been married to his wife, Monica, for 16 years and is a father.[1]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.