12 Navajos vie for tribe's top elected position

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) – The Navajo Nation will have a new president next year for the first time in eight years, and voters will narrow the list of contenders to two on Tuesday.
A dozen presidential hopefuls are vying for two spots on the tribe's general election ballot. Among them are the tribe's vice president, seasoned politicians, two women and some political newcomers.
Current Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. had sought re-election to a third consecutive term but the tribe's elections office disqualified him, citing Navajo law that states tribal presidents are limited to two consecutive terms. The Navajo Supreme Court upheld the decision.
High on every candidate's priority list is economic development on the reservation where more than half of the work force is unemployed and restoring harmony to the tribal government.
“This is very important among the Navajos that we don't forgive ourselves, we don't forgive each other,” said Robert Carr, a Navajo who moderated a recent presidential forum in Winslow. “I wish it was that way where all the administration, the (Tribal) Council, would shake hands and forgive themselves and each other and say, 'I'm sorry, this is a new year, this is a new beginning.”'
Two of the candidates – Deputy Attorney General Harrison Tsosie and former state Rep. Daniel Peaches – are promoting a tribal constitution as a way to better define the government and how it should serve the people.
Carr said he personally was impressed with Council Delegate Rex Lee Jim, a 48-year-old Princeton graduate and advocate for human rights, and Vice President Ben Shelly. Both candidates' platforms focus on economic development.
Voters are looking for a candidate who also will protect the tribe's natural resources, is honest, trustworthy, charismatic and who can capture audiences with fluency in the Navajo language, Carr said.
Lynda Lovejoy, a New Mexico senator, has carried some of the momentum from a primary victory four years ago into her second run for the presidency. Sharon Clahchischilliage, who most recently served as the director of the Navajo Nation Washington Office, is the other woman in the race.
Many candidates have touted their experience in tribal government, including Arbin Mitchell, who has worked for three separate Navajo presidents and currently serves as the tribe's director of community development.
Other candidates say that's exactly what Navajos don't need – someone who is entrenched in the tribal government or is a career politician.
“Yes, they are experienced,” said Anthony Begay, the youngest of the candidates at 37. “But what have they achieved?”
The other candidates are: Shiprock Chapter Vice President Donald Benally, mechanic Jerry Todacheene of Shiprock, N.M., and Salt River Project employee Dale Tsosie. George Herrera of Ojo Encino, N.M., is running as a write-in candidate.
Tribal lawmakers also are up for election this year but there will be fewer than in the past. Navajos voted last year to reduce the Tribal Council from 88 members to 24.
More than one-third of the tribe's 300,000 members are registered to vote in the primary. Election officials are predicting a 65 percent turnout.