Navajo Nation presidential election, 2010

Navajo Nation presidential election, 2010

2006 ← November 2, 2010 → 2014

Nominee Lynda Lovejoy Ben Shelly Party Democratic Democratic

President before election Joe Shirley, Jr. Democratic Elected President Ben Shelly

The Navajo Nation presidential election of 2010 was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Incumbent Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, Jr. was term-limited yet sought a third consecutive term, the Navajo Nation Supreme Court declined a third term for Shirley.^[1]

The top two vote earners in the presidential primary election, which was held on August 3, 2010, qualified for the general election. New Mexico State Senator Lynda Lovejoy and outgoing Navajo Nation Vice President Ben Shelly respectively came in first and second in the primary over nine other candidates. They faced each other in the general election. ^[2]

This was the first Navajo Nation election in which both presidential candidates, Lovejoy and Shelly, are residents of the Eastern part of the Navajo Nation.^[2] 2010 also marked the first time that a woman earned the most votes in the Navajo presidential primary. ^[2]

Ben Shelly became the first Vice President of the Navajo Nation to be elected president.^[3] If elected, Lynda Lovejoy would have become the first female president of the Navajo Nation.^[4]

Election overview

Joe Shirley Jr. was re-elected in the 2006 presidential election to a second term over challenger Lynda Lovejoy. On July 9, 2010, the Navajo Nation Supreme Court ruled that Shirley could not seek a third consecutive term as president.^[1]

In 2008, President Shirley launched a government reform, that would reduce the Navajo Nation Council from 88 members to 24. On December 15, 2009 the Navajo people voted in favor of reducing the Navajo Nation Council from 88 to 24. This will lead to a smaller council which may be implemented for the 2010 election depending on a ruling from the Navajo Supreme Court on April 20, 2010.

The fight to reduce the Council has made the race more competitive than in previous years and the stance against the Council reduction fought for by certain Council members will make their prospects tough mirroring a similar election in 2002 where the voters removed over 67% of the Council incumbents.

Candidates

• Alphabetical order

General election

• Lynda Lovejoy, of Crownpoint, New Mexico, current New Mexico State Senator, District 22
  • Earl Tulley, chosen as Lovejoy's running mate for Vice President on August 8, 2010, activist and administrator.^[3]

• Ben Shelly, of Thoreau, New Mexico, current Navajo Nation Vice-President
  • Rex Lee Jim, chosen as Shelly's running mate for Vice President on August 8, 2010. ^[5]

Announced and defeated in primary

• Anthony Begay, of Mariano Lake, New Mexico, current Mariano Lake Chapter President
• Donald Benally, of Shiprock, New Mexico, current Shiprock Chapter Vice-President
• Sharon Clahchischilliage, of Cudeii, NewMexico, Fmr. Navajo-Washington Office Director
  • Rex Lee Jim, of Rock Point, Arizona current Navajo Nation Council^[6]
• Arbin Mitchell, of Wide Ruins, Arizona, current Executive Director of Navajo Nation Division of Community Development
• Daniel Peaches, of Kayenta, Arizona, Fmr. Kayenta Chapter Council Delegate, Kayenta Town Manager, Staff Assistant to Fmr. Chairman Peter MacDonald Sr.
• Jerry Todacheenie, of Shiprock, New Mexico, BHP Employee and member of Shiprock Fair Board
• D. Harrison Tsosie, of Dennehotso, Arizona, current Navajo Nation Deputy Attorney General
• Dale Tsosie, of Lechee, Arizona, Navajo Citizen

Not Running

• Lawrence T. Morgan, of Pinedale, New Mexico, current Navajo Nation council Speaker

Term limited

• Joe Shirley Jr., of Chinle, Arizona, current President of the Navajo Nation (Due to Term limit)

Primary election

State Senator Lynda Lovejoy, who unsuccessfully sought the presidency in 2006, easily defeated eleven other candidates with 17,137 votes, becoming the first woman to win a Navajo Nation presidential primary.^[2] Navajo Nation Vice President Ben Shelly came in second place and qualified for the general election with 7,763 votes.^[2] Donald Benally of Shiprock placed third followed by the rest of the candidates.^[2]

Voter turnout was relatively low, at just 43.84% of registered voters.^[2] An estimated 48,511 of the 110,645 registered voters participated in the primary election.^[2]

Navajo Nation primary results [2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Democratic	Lynda Lovejoy	17,137	35.7%
	Democratic	Ben Shelly	7,763	16.2%
	Democratic	Donald Benally	6,082	12.7%
	Democratic	Rex Lee Jim	4,224	8.8%
	Republican	Sharon Clahchischilliage	3,139	6.5%
	Democratic	Arbin Mitchell	2,809	5.8%
	Nonpartisan	D. Harrison Tsosie	2,718	5.7%
	Nonpartisan	Dale Tsosie	2,142	4.5%
	Nonpartisan	Daniel Peaches	749	1.6%
	Nonpartisan	Anthony Begay	620	1.3%
	Nonpartisan	Jerry Todacheenie	620	1.0%
	Nonpartisan	Write-in candidates	290	0.4%
Totals			48,511	%

Polling

Primary Election polling

Poll Source	Dates Administered	Lynda Lovejoy	Ben Shelly
General Poll[2]	January 10, 2010	51%	49%

Poll Source	Dates Administered	Rex Lee Jim	Lynda Lovejoy
General Poll[3]	January 10, 2010	45%	44%

Results

With 109 of the 110 chapters reporting, Ben Shelly was ahead of Linda Lovejoy with 52.7% vs. 47.3% of all counted votes. Shelly claimed victory and promised voters in the Gorman Hall at the Window Rock Sports Center that "I will work with you. We will work together." Lovejoy demanded a recount.^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Begay, Jason (2010-07-09). "Navajo Nation Supreme Court ruled Shirley cannot run again until 2014". Navajo Times. http://www.navajotimes.com/politics/president/0710/070910nothird.php. Retrieved 2010-10-28. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Donovan, Bill (2010-08-05). "Lovejoy first, Shelly second". Navajo Times. http://www.navajotimes.com/politics/election2010/080510primary.php. Retrieved 2010-10-28. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} http://www.navajotimes.com/ Accessed 2010-11-03.
4. ^ Allen, Nick (2010-10-18). "Navajo poised to elect first woman as president". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8071552/Navajo-poised-to-elect-first-woman-as-president.html. Retrieved 2010-10-28. 
5. ^ Donovan, Bill (2010-08-12). "Shelly picks experience, values". Navajo Times. http://www.navajotimes.com/politics/election2010/081210shelly.php. Retrieved 2010-10-28. 
6. ^ Bill Donavan. [1] navajotimes.com, November 5, 2009.

External links

• Ben Shelly & Rex Lee Jim official campaign
• Lynda Lovejoy & Earl Tulley official campaign