Cherokee Nation chief candidate David Walkingstick fights to stay in race

Monday, May 20, 2019  

David Walkingstick, a candidate for principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, is fighting to stay on the ballot, less than two weeks before tribal citizens choose a new leader.

The Cherokee Nation Election Commission disqualified Walkingstick after a meeting on Friday. He was found to have violated tribal law by accepting donations from an outside corporation and soliciting illegal donations.

Walkingstick, a council member, denied the charges in a statement on Saturday. "When an unelected board of Cherokee citizens close to the chief can remove a candidate without due process or evidence of wrongdoing, it highlights something fundamentally wrong with our election process — something we must address immediately to avoid continuing down this road of corruption and cronyism," he said.

Walkingstick followed up by filing an appeal on Monday. The Cherokee Nation Supreme Court will now consider the case in advance of the June 1 election.

If Walkingstick loses the appeal, only two candidates will appear on the ballot. The are Chuck Hoskin Jr., the Secretary of State for the Cherokee Nation, and Dick Lay, a council member.

Hoskin has worked in the administration of Bill John Baker, the current chief. Baker has served two consecutive terms in office and is barred under tribal law from seeking another consecutive term.

Lay has served alongside Walkingstick on the council and called his rival candidate a "friend" in a post on social media on Saturday. But he wasn't happy with Hoskin's reaction to the election commission's decision.

"My thoughts were there’s nothing like kicking a guy when he’s down," Lay said in reference to a video in which Hoskin criticized Walkingstick's campaign activities.

In an open letter published on Indian Country Today, former chief Chad Smith said: "If we needed confirmation of current corruption, look at Chuck Hoskins’ intense campaign of trashy personal attacks on his opponent. That is not the way to lead the Cherokee Nation!"

Smith has since published a second letter in which he accused the Hoskins campaign, as well as the administration of Chief Baker, of corruption.

Walkingstick is running on a ticket with Meredith Frailey, the speaker of the Cherokee Nation Council, although voters will cast their ballots independently for the position. A woman hasn't served in the tribe's highest executive branch offices since the late Wilma Mankiller served as chief between 1985 and 1995.

Hoskin is running on a ticket with Bryan Warner, who also serves on the tribal council. Lay is running independently.

Walkingstick files appeal with Supreme Court (The Cherokee Phoenix May 20, 2019)
Walkingstick appeals; CN court date Friday (The Tahlequah Daily Press May 20, 2019)
Walkingstick disqualified from Cherokee Nation chief’s race (The Cherokee Phoenix May 17, 2019)
Walkingstick tossed from CN ballot (The Tahlequah Daily Press May 20, 2019)
David Walkingstick disqualified from Cherokee chief election (The Tulsa World May 18, 2019)
Cherokee Nation chief candidate Walkingstick DQ'd from race, his campaign says (KJRH May 17, 2019)

Open letter to the Cherokee people (Indian Country Today May 8, 2019)
Second open letter to the Cherokee people (Indian Country Today May 20, 2019)