Indianz.Com > News > Cronkite News: Tribal leaders cast electoral votes for Joe Biden

Three Arizona tribal leaders on diverse slate of 11 electoral voters
Monday, December 14, 2020
Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – In what a former Arizona elector called “a sweet irony,” the slate of 11 Democratic presidential electors who will cast Arizona’s Electoral College votes Monday includes three tribal leaders.
Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Ned Norris Jr. will join eight other Democrats to cast the state’s votes for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
While it may have been a sweet irony, however, it was no accident.
Arizona Democratic Party Chair Felecia Rotellini said she wanted to
choose electors
who would “represent the diversity of Arizona, and the diversity of Arizona voters, as well as Arizona Democratic voters.” That included the three tribal leaders with “deep roots to our state.”
“The three leaders of the tribes that we selected are also great partners with the Arizona Democratic Party in terms of helping us to promote candidates that reflect the values that we all believe in – the values that were on the ballot in this election,” Rotellini said. “Without their leadership, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
Norris did not respond to requests for comment and Lewis declined. But Nez called being chosen an elector is “a big honor.”
“I’m overjoyed, and happy to cast the Navajo electorate vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” he said.


Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News. It is published via a Creative Commons license. Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
Advertisement
Search
Filed Under
Tags
More Headlines
NAFOA in transition with departure of executive director
A Listening Session on “The ARTIST Act: Updating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act”
Native America Calling: Is Twitter worth the trade-off?
NAFOA opens annual economic development conference in nation’s capital
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hosts listening session for Indian Arts and Crafts Act
SCOTUSblog: A ‘simple’ Indian law case before the U.S. Supreme Court
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation continues to rebuild its economy
Native America Calling: Robots help teach STEM and Native languages
New York bans use of Native mascots in public schools
National American Indian Housing Council welcomes new executive director
Native America Calling: Tribal cannabis update from New York to Washington State
Fireworks as Secretary Haaland faces Republican critic on Capitol Hill
ICT won’t post on Twitter due to ‘mistrust’ of social media platform
‘It’s really meaningful to me’: Omaha Nation students visit site of former boarding school
Native America Calling: Tribal gun laws
More Headlines
A Listening Session on “The ARTIST Act: Updating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act”
Native America Calling: Is Twitter worth the trade-off?
NAFOA opens annual economic development conference in nation’s capital
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hosts listening session for Indian Arts and Crafts Act
SCOTUSblog: A ‘simple’ Indian law case before the U.S. Supreme Court
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation continues to rebuild its economy
Native America Calling: Robots help teach STEM and Native languages
New York bans use of Native mascots in public schools
National American Indian Housing Council welcomes new executive director
Native America Calling: Tribal cannabis update from New York to Washington State
Fireworks as Secretary Haaland faces Republican critic on Capitol Hill
ICT won’t post on Twitter due to ‘mistrust’ of social media platform
‘It’s really meaningful to me’: Omaha Nation students visit site of former boarding school
Native America Calling: Tribal gun laws
More Headlines