Potter County Precinct 3 Commissioner John Coffee made several big announcements about the upcoming race for Potter County Judge.

In the post, he wrote that Judge Nancy Tanner has told him that she “does not plan to seek re-election.” After thanking Tanner for her service, he noted that several people had been asking him to run.

“Many of you have reached out encouraging me to consider stepping up in a new capacity, and I’m taking that to heart,” said Coffee. “I’m not making any official announcement right now, but I am seriously considering what the future could hold and want to be upfront about what that means.”

Coffee shared that his biggest concern at the moment is that running would force him to step down from his current role on the Commissioners’ Court, though, if Judge Tanner accepts, he could continue serving as a holdover.

Coffee also expanded on rumors regarding Tanner’s pick in the upcoming race, stating that she “has chosen to support a close personal friend of hers and the former Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson's in this upcoming race.”

Though the identity of this candidate has not been confirmed, multiple reliable sources have told The Amarillo Pioneer that the person is local attorney Michelle Eggleston. When we reached out to Eggleston, she did not deny having plans to run. “I’m not going to make any comment today, but I’ll be happy to talk later,” said Eggleston.

So far, Coffee and Eggleston have been the main names floated as potential candidates. The election is set for November 2026, though the main competition is expected to be the March 2026 Republican primary election.