Six candidates for the Navajo Nation presidency are
officially in the running for the August 8 primary. Only two will
face off in the November general election. For now the list of
candidates reads like a directory of tribal leaders. Current tribal
president Peterson Zah is seeking a third term. Running against him
are tribal vice president Marshall Plummer and Navajo Speaker of
the Council Nelson Gorman. A fourth candidate, excommunicated
Mormon Church leader George P. Lee, must survive a criminal trial
over child molestation charges to stay on the ballot. Remaining
candidates include Indian Health Service administrator Roselyn
Curtis, who, if elected, would be the first woman to lead the
tribe, and Window Rock attorney Albert Hale. Former tribal
president Peter MacDonald does not appear on the ballot, but could
have an impact through his diehard supporters on the reservation.
From his Pennsylvania prison cell, the longtime tribal leader still
controls a substantial voting bloc, says Tom Arviso Jr., editor of
the Navajo Times. Polling the far-flung residents of the
reservation is nearly impossible, but Arviso says that Zah, Plummer
and Gorman are the likely front
runners.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Who will lead the Navajo Nation?.
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