Mississippi Choctaws in final stretch of campaign for chief position


Phyliss J. Anderson. Photo from Facebook

Members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians head to the polls tomorrow to choose a chief and several council members.

Phyliss J. Anderson, the first woman to lead the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, is running for re-election after focusing on stabilizing the tribe's finances. She is facing six challengers but WTOK said former chief Beasley Denson and Vice Chief Kevin Edwards are drawing the most attention.


Beasley Denson. Photo from Facebook

Anderson defeated Denson, who only served one term, in 2011. She actually beat him twice -- a second election was held after the tribal council at the time invalidated the results of the first one. Denson later blamed his loss on an FBI raid of the tribe's gaming facilities, a probe that does not appear to have resulted in any charges against anyone.


Kevin Edwards. Photo from Facebook

Edwards, who also ran in 2011, wasn't happy with Denson's leadership and he doesn't like where Anderson is taking the tribe either.

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Choctaw Tribal Chief Election Heats Up (WTOK 6/5)

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