Jonathan Nez, seen here with his wife, Phefelia Herbert-Nez, will be the new president of the Navajo Nation. Photo: Jonathan Nez

National | Politics

Jonathan Nez wins election as president of Navajo Nation

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

The Navajo Nation, one of the two largest tribes in the United States, has a new president.

Jonathan Nez secured victory with 66 percent of the vote on Tuesday, according to the unofficial results. He easily defeated Joe Shirley Jr., a former president of the tribe.

"From the start, our campaign was a simple grassroots effort for change that flourished into an excited Navajo electorate casting their ballots and actively participating in the democratic process," Nez said in a message after the results came in. "For the first time in a long time, the younger voting population came out in large numbers. We appreciate this level of participation in the tribal and state elections."

The election caps off yet another unusual political cycle for the tribe. Nez, the current vice president, broke ranks with President Russell Begaye and ran on his own for the highest elective office on the reservation.

Nez ended up securing the most votes in the tribe's August 28 primary. Begaye came in an distant fifth after just one term in office.

Begaye's rise to power in itself was unusual. He only won the presidency after the most popular choice, Chris Deschene, was disqualified in a dispute over his Navajo language abilities and after an election in which Shirley, who served two consecutive terms, was also on the ballot.

The ouster of Begaye marks the second time in a row that the Navajo Nation has seen a one-term president. Ben Shelly lost his bid for re-election in 2014 but ended up taking office anyway after the dispute involving Deschene went unresolved for several months.

Presidential candidates pick their own running mates, so the vice presidential post is not up for election. Nez's vice president will be Myron Lizer, a business owner on the reservation.

Nez and Lizer will be sworn into office on January 8, 2019.

In other election news, Navajo voters rejected an initiative that would have increased the salaries of the president and vice president. More than 66 percent of voters were against the measure, according to the unofficial results.