Former Knox County Mayor and WWE Hall of Famer Glenn Jacobs has joined the Advisory Council of Americans for Prosperity (AFP), where he will help guide the organization’s grassroots efforts to advance limited-government policies and expand individual freedom and opportunity.
AFP announced Jacobs’ appointment Wednesday, describing the Advisory Council as a group of “influential voices” who work alongside the organization’s leadership to “provide strategic guidance on how to build and grow grassroots movements on key issues, helps energize and mobilize the broader AFP community, and serves as ambassadors for AFP’s approach to policy and politics.”
🚨 BIG NEWS! From the WWE ring to the Knox County Mayor's Office, @GlennJacobsTN has spent years standing up for freedom. 🇺🇸
Now, he's joining the @AFPhq Advisory Council!
We're excited to welcome a strong champion of limited government and opportunity! 👏🗽 Details ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/YvxrBvztle
— AFPTN (@AFPTN) October 28, 2026
“Glenn has been a part of our AFP family for years, and we’re thrilled to be welcoming him to officially join our advisory council,” AFP’s chief government affairs officer Brent Gardner said in a statement.
Gardner pointed to Jacobs’ record as Knox County mayor, particularly his efforts to control government spending while attracting new jobs and investment.
“He understands that real change starts at the local level and with people who are engaged in their communities,” Gardner said, adding that Jacobs’ experience and ability to connect with Americans would benefit the organization’s grassroots movement.
Jacobs joins current council members Guy Benson, Mary Katharine Ham, Jeb Hensarling, Jose Oliva, and Jim Stephenson. The council also includes former U.S. Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Chris T. Clem, who joined AFP’s National Advisory Council in 2025.
According to AFP, the council brings together individuals with experience across various institutions to help the organization reach more Americans and advance policies intended to improve communities and the country.
“I’ve seen firsthand that the best solutions come from people closest to the problem, not from politicians far removed from it,” Jacobs said.
“Americans for Prosperity has built a grassroots network that empowers everyday people to hold government accountable and fight for policies that expand freedom and opportunity,” he added.
Jacobs was elected Knox County mayor in 2018 and won reelection in 2022, serving two terms before leaving office September 1, 2026. During his tenure, AFP noted, the county added more than 2,500 jobs and secured $217 million in capital investment.
Before entering politics, Jacobs spent more than two decades as a professional wrestler, performing as WWE Superstar “Kane.” He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
In an April 2025 appearance on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Jacobs discussed his plans after leaving office, saying he wanted to continue supporting and defending the Constitution and advocating for free people and free markets.
“My passion is supporting and defending the Constitution. It’s about free people and about free markets and encouraging, advocating, and promoting those ideas. So it might be an elected office, it might be somewhere else, but ultimately that’s what I want to do,” Jacobs said at the time.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Glenn Jacobs” by Glenn Jacobs.
