Tsosie defends 2014 challenge to Deschene’s eligibility, calls for unity
WINDOW ROCK
Former Navajo Nation presidential candidate Dale Tsosie defended his role in the 2014 legal challenge that helped lead to Chris Deschene’s disqualification, but said the dispute should no longer divide Diné voters as Deschene seeks the vice presidency in the Nov. 3 election.
In an Oct. 16 phone interview, Tsosie criticized Deschene’s response to questions about the case during an Oct. 13 presidential debate in Phoenix. He said Deschene should have acknowledged his mistakes rather than blamed others for his disqualification.
Deschene is running with Speaker Crystalyne Curley against Justin Jones and Emily Ellison.
The debate was hosted by the Indian Legal Program and Native American Law Students Association at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
Ellison challenged Deschene’s 2014 declaration that he was fluent in Navajo. Later, when asked to describe a decision that went wrong and how he addressed it, Deschene discussed his unsuccessful presidential campaign.
“I made the decision in 2014 to run for president, and it didn’t go as planned,” he said.
Deschene argued that the fluency requirement had been applied unequally and described the legal proceedings as an abuse of judicial power. He maintained that voters should decide who leads the Nation.
To read the full article, please see the Oct. 29, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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