Navajo presidential candidates name running mates in lead-up to November showdown

Following the Navajo Nation presidential primary last Tuesday, the top vote-getters have named their VP picks before the Monday deadline — just less than 100 days before they face off in the Nov. 3 general election.

Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley was first to announce her ticket in Window Rock, saying, “[I’m] excited to share this moment with you — I know people online were very anxious.”

That wait was finally over when Curley surprisingly picked former Arizona Democratic state lawmaker Chris Deschene. The one-term state House representative ran a failed bid for Secretary of State in 2010.

“Throughout my career, I know what it means to be an underdog,” said Deschene. “If you know our campaign, and you know what we can do, that is just a speed bump because we’re gonna run through this thing.”

In 2014, the Marine Corps veteran vied for the very seat Curley is now seeking to claim. But after placing second in that primary, Deschene was disqualified, in part, because of Curley’s November opponent: Farmington attorney Justin Jones.

He served as counsel to a losing candidate who challenged the 2014 primary election outcome in tribal court and claimed that Deschene lied about his language proficiency and therefore was ineligible to hold office.

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Before midnight, the tribal radio station KTNN — known in these parts as the “Voice of the Navajo Nation” — called the 16-candidate race. Radio host “Navajo Bob” Sandoval read the unofficial score from the 110 polling places.

Listen • 1:19

At that time, only allowed fluent Diné speakers to serve as president, according to Navajo law. A year later, voters went to the polls, repealing that legal requirement for future candidates during a 2015 referendum.

As for Jones, he returned to Rock Point, Arizona, which is less than 100 miles north of the tribal capital where Curley made her news. Later that same afternoon, it was his turn to do the same.

“This is where I grew up,” said Jones, sharing how he prayed and sang here before naming his running mate Emily Ellison. She’s in charge of the Gallup nonprofit Battered Families Services.

Like Jones, Ellison also competed in the crowded primary race, which resulted in the ousting of sitting President Buu Nygren. She earned the fourth fewest votes from the field of 16 candidates. “I want to thank the committee for this opportunity to serve our Navajo people,” said Ellison.