This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
Although he admitted to being half Navajo, had a funny name, chose a woman as his vice presidential candidate, and never served on the council, it was a status quo for Buu Nygren and his campaign. challenge went well. .
Nygren and his vice-presidential candidate Richelle Montoya unofficially received a total of 34,568 votes, enough votes to upset popular incumbent president Jonathan Nez. Montoya becomes the first woman to serve as Navajo Vice President.
“Breaking that glass ceiling is pretty cool for a woman,” Nygren said of his new vice president.
Nygren’s victory was a surprise in a race that many believed Nez would easily win re-election. Nez and his vice presidential candidate Chad Abeyta received his 31,069 votes, according to the Navajo Nation Election Administration.
Election coverage: Live Poll Update | Arizona Election Results
“I was very ambitious,” a weary Nygren said Wednesday. “I was a young candidate with a funny name and choosing a female vice president. I think he put a lot of thought into how he would be accepted by the Navajo people.
“You may have heard that I am not Navajo, I am half Navajo. The results were very encouraging and ultimately showed how the Navajo Nation could become the most efficient and effective way to help people. ”
Election results: Navajo President Jonathan Nez lost his bid for a second term to Buu Nigren
Nygren said he took inspiration from past Navajo leaders who followed a similar path and were elected after finishing second in the primary.
Determined to challenge popular incumbent
Nygren’s primary language was Navajo, and during the election, Navajo was his primary language of choice for expressing his thoughts and plans as Navajo President.
A native of Red Mesa, Arizona, he worked as the Chief Commercial Officer for the Navajo Engineering and Construction Authority. He attended Arizona State University where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. He also holds a PhD in Education from the University of Southern California.
Four years ago, former Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley chose Nyglen as his running mate. Nygren was not Shirley’s first choice, but was accepted after Shirley’s first choice was disqualified because Shirley was not registered as a Navajo voter.
First race: Navajo presidential candidate forced to pick new running mate
Four years later, Nygren rode to Window Rock with his wife Jasmine Blackwater Nyglen, Rep. D-Red Mesa, to announce his candidacy for president of the Navajo Nation. He was the first candidate to announce.
“President Nez has a very strong presidency. If you think about it, he’s a formidable opponent,” Nygren said. “Think of how late it is for people to announce their candidacy for president. People have been waiting. I was the first to announce in April. Nobody wants to run for president.” I did. It should be.”
Ned’s leadership looked strong, especially when COVID-19 hit the Navajo hard. To many outside the Navajo, he was a symbol of resilience as he advocated for the tribe to acquire his COVID-19 vaccine and federal funding. He issued strict orders to the Navajo inhabitants, visiting all 110 branches to distribute food and supplies. The pandemic has interrupted his term and his plans as president.
Nez has worked his way up to the traditional presidency, first as a chapter officer, council representative, vice-president, and finally president in 2018. He was also a member of the Navajo County Board of Supervisors.
“Four years ago, we had the Nahat’a Plan, a lot of it was water, electricity, broadband roads, housing and infrastructure,” Nez said in an interview during the campaign. “What we are telling the Navajo people is that continuity is key. COVID-19, we have been in a pandemic for three years and we are still in a pandemic. Together we will overcome it and look forward to moving out of the pandemic and back to progress.”
Domestic pandemic: How COVID-19 hit Navajo hearts and how people fought back
Twice Nez was able to beat the Shirley team, first as the Vice President’s running mate and then again as the President.
get inspired by others
Nygren said he takes inspiration from all past leaders, including Nez. He studied past leaders and asked campaign organizers from the 1980s, 90s and 2000s for insights on how to run successful campaigns.
“I felt that if I was to become the next Navajo president, I would have to prove myself by winning a very tough election like this one,” Nigren said. “One thing that is clear is that this was my campaign and I wanted to run it the way I wanted to. I studied past leaders. I tried to learn from their mistakes and their successes. I took that into my campaign. I had to be very strategic and ambitious to win this election. prize.
The fact that Niglen wasn’t holding a seat as a delegate made many consider his run for president prematurely. said he looked to past leaders who beat the odds on their way to becoming president of the United States or president of the Navajo Nation.
“When I had my doubts, my motivation was when Peter McDonald played Raymond Nakai,” Nygren said. “Nakai was a veteran, but a young man named Peter McDonald had never been on the council, and he was challenging Nakai. He wasn’t supposed to win, but he did it.” I pulled it off.”
He also found motivation in the 1994 election of the late Navajo President Albert Hale against former Navajo Chairman and President Peterson Za. Hale also never served on the Council.
“Given those two circumstances, Albert Hale came in second in the primary just as I came in second. But in general, Albert Hale beat Peterson Zaha. That’s my scenario.”
With two months to go before taking the oath of office, Nygren wants to meet with Nez to make a collaborative transition and ask for their input. He’s also looking for the right person for his cabinet.Another important thing is to meet with the 25th Navajo Council and build trust early on.
“I have a big ambitious to-do list in front of the Navajo. To accomplish that, I need to organize myself with some really solid people,” Niglen said. “I don’t know who these people are, but they are people who really understand the government, the changes and the issues I talked about, reforming the government, and building a strong economy. This is going to be the next few months.” It will be the main thing in the movement.It will move faster.”
Arlyssa D. Becenti covers Indigenous Affairs for the Republic of Arizona and azcentral.send ideas and tips arlyssa.becenti@arizonarepublic.comFollow her on Twitter @ABenti.
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