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Navajo VP leads in primary

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Navajo Vice-President Jonathan Nez, who came out on top of all the pre-election polls, had no problem coming in first in the Navajo Nation primary for tribal president Aug. 28.

He won more chapters than all of the other 17 candidates combined, getting 14,105 votes, according to the unofficial totals.

Coming in second was former Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr., who received 6,947 votes, but the story there was that throughout most of the night, he was fighting to keep that second place as Tom Chee, the tribal council delegate from Shiprock, who challenged him throughout night, at times came within 150 votes.

Chee came in third place with 6,411 votes.

The tribe’s current president, Russell Begaye, came in fifth with 3,833 votes.

As far as voter participation went, the Tsaile/Wheatfields poll had the highest turnout with nearly 74 percent participation. Whippoorwill voters turned out least, with about 52 percent, or 307 ballots cast.

Nez and Shirley will now face each other in the November general election. This marks the fifth time Shirley has won for president, winning twice and losing twice.

NN Primary Unofficial Voter Turnout

Agency Summary

Ballots Cast

Registered Voters

Voter Participation

Chinle: 14 Poll(s) of 14 Have Reported

7,406

12,092

61.25%

Eastern: 31 Poll(s) of 31 Have Reported

11,074

21,267

52.07%

"Fort Defiance Agency:
27 Poll(s) of 27 Have Reported"

13,521

21,456

63.02%

"Northern Agency Summary
20 Poll(s) of 20 Have Reported"

9,861

17,351

56.83%

"Western Agency:
18 Poll(s) of 18 Have Reported"

8,750

15,841

55.24%

 

50,612

88,007