Candidates stake out priorities at Tuba City candidate forum
Special to the Times | Donovan Quintero
Thirteen Navajo Nation presidential candidates take part in the Tónaneesdizí Local Government presidential forum in Tuba City on Tuesday, June 16. Top row, from left, are Myron Lizer, Crystalyne Curley, Andrew Curley, Justin Jones, Buu Nygren, Jordon Begay and Frank Dayish Jr. Bottom row, from left, are Tom Chee, Debbie Nez-Manuel, Arvin Trujillo, John (Johnny) Russell, Emily Ellison and Alexander Chambers.
TÓNANEESDIZÍ
Thirteen candidates for Navajo Nation president laid out competing visions for the Nation’s future, from jobs and land reform to tribal government, during a presidential forum Tuesday evening at Greyhills Academy High.
The Tónaneesdizí Local Government hosted the gathering and streamed it online. The race drew 16 candidates, and the July 21 primary will narrow the field to two finalists for the November general election.
President Buu Nygren, who took office in 2023 and is running for a second term, stood on his record. He counted homes built, roads repaired, windmills fixed and a tribal minimum wage raised during his four years, then tied his pitch to the slogan he has carried into the campaign.
“Four years ago, you all told me, ‘We’re tired of waiting, tired of excuses,’ and wanted the government to start moving,” Nygren said.
He said the next term would be about building on that work through more housing, water, health care and elder care.
To read the full article, please see the June 18, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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