For more than 20 years, Navajo President Jonathan Nez has held public office. He went from vice president of the Shonto chapter to supervisor of Navajo County and eventually president of what he called the nation’s largest indigenous nation.
Nez was ousted as president in November, but he continued to push forward, completing the final weeks of his presidency intensively.
“I’m still president and I’m going to complete some of the priorities that I didn’t get to until January 10th,” Nez told ICT. I think.”
He pointed out that Nez narrowly missed re-election for a second term as president. Opponent Buu Vannigren won with his 3,551 votes.
The Cherokee Nation and the Navajo Nation alternate between areas with the highest population of citizens according to both tribal registration numbers.
During his final months as president, Nez was a panelist at the White House Summit of Tribal Nations, an invited guest at state dinners, plus wife Feferia Nez at the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors Dinner. provided ONE and signed a memorandum of understanding with the US Department of Energy. It’s a busy time for career politicians.
Looking to the future, he plans to go back to school and spend more time with his family. He said he would pray and think about what would be best for him and his family.
He keeps all options open, including the possibility of running for Congress in Arizona’s Second District.
Eli Crane, a very conservative candidate who has never been in office, defeated Democratic Rep. Tom O’Halleran in the newly reorganized constituency.
“When it comes to votes in that district, it’s just another party in control,” Nez said. “I hate to say it, but it would be very difficult for a Democrat to run for that position. Unless the election changes.”
Ranked-choice voting or an open primary system could give Democratic candidates an advantage to win the Arizona Legislative District 2, but unless that happens, the Nes won’t win that seat in 2024. I think it is very difficult to make
Others, however, are more optimistic about the district.
Arizona has never elected Native Americans to Congress. The state is home to 22 federally recognized tribes who have always lived on these lands and currently control 2.8 million acres. Arizona lies within the boundaries of most of the Navajo Nation. House District 2 has 14 indigenous peoples, who make up about 20% of the population.
House District 2 demographics help the chances of electing the first Indigenous people to represent Arizona in Congress in 2024. Notably, Republican nominee Crane, who will represent voters in 14 Indigenous nations, is coming Jan. 3 and hasn’t been there yet. As far as Navajo County Democratic Party Chairman Misa Foy knows, every country has been visited.
Crane’s platforms include ‘defeating the cancellation culture’, electoral integrity, border security and ‘no vaccine mandates, no lockdowns, no tyranny’. He was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Crane also doesn’t seem to live in the district he was elected to represent.
“I don’t think he’ll come up with a policy that will win voters in our community in northeastern Arizona,” Foy said. “He thinks he’s only going to pursue some of this folly that the current Republican Party is pursuing: endless scrutiny and not being a serious policy maker and not doing serious governance. ”
For years, Foy has worked to evict Native voters in northeastern Arizona. Navajo County Democrats are also working with Apache County. Crane’s apparent lack of interest in working with tribes could help advance the Indigenous candidates.
“I think it’s our first chance to collect votes in this gerrymander district. The district pulled seven points to the right and Tom[O’Halleran]just lost by seven points,” Foy said. “We set out and got as many voters as we could. In our community in northeastern Arizona, Navajo and Apache counties were the only two counties that actually had high voter turnout statewide.”
In the next elections, including the presidential one, this number is likely to increase further.
“When non-intermediate voters become intermediate voters, they develop the habit of voting and find that they remain voters throughout their lives,” Foy said.
Janey Parrish of Navajo, executive director of Navajo County Democrat Janey Parrish, wants to see an Indigenous woman run for that seat.
“We were like, ‘Who are you? Who’s like Sharice (David) in Arizona in our area?'” she said.
Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids and Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola are examples of how Indigenous candidates can win in these somewhat conservative districts. Parrish and Foy said they just need the right candidates and a lot of organizing.
“I think we still have a good shot. If the candidate is an Indigenous woman, I personally prefer to still be in that Congressional seat,” Parrish said. It’s something I still want and something I’m working on, but I still don’t know who it is.”
