A legal battle is brewing on the Navajo Nation after voters seem to have selected Crystalyne Curley as their next president.
Curley, who serves as speaker of the Navajo Nation Council, will be the first woman to hold the position, though unofficial results released late Tuesday indicate she received 50.9% of the vote, Curley’s opponent, attorney Justin Jones, said at his watch party he would not concede and he intends to pursue legal challenges to the outcome.
The margin between the two is 1,115 votes, according to the Navajo Election Administration.
“The fight has just begun,” Jones told supporters in remarks livestreamed on Facebook. “We will challenge every part of Title 11. We will challenge every part of Title 1 through 26.”
Jones was referring to the Navajo Nation Code, of which Title 11 governs elections and voting procedures. It also states results cannot be certified until 10 days after an election, creating a window for candidates to file legal challenges and grievances. He claimed cheating on the part of Curley, and said he would subpoena her.
“We’re going to war now,” Jones said.
Curley did not respond to a request for an interview Wednesday. In a statement, Jones said his campaign “is committed to ensuring that every Navajo voter’s voice is heard and that this election was conducted in full accordance with the laws of the Navajo Nation.”
“We have received credible reports of procedural irregularities and compliance concerns across various polling locations,” Jones continued. “Our team is actively reviewing these matters and examining all available legal remedies under the Navajo Nation Election Code to protect the integrity of the vote.”
‘Gives me hope’
Despite the controversy, supporters of Curley were celebrating her historic victory Wednesday.
“As a Diné woman, I’ve always been proud of who I am, but this moment was different,” said Berny Sandoval, who lives in Chinle, Ariz. “And it was due to witnessing a woman reach this historical milestone in our nation.”
Curley is poised to serve as the 11th president of the nation, which is the biggest Native American reservation in the United States and spans more than 27,000 square miles, including large areas of northwestern New Mexico. Her election coincided with the victory Tuesday night of Deb Haaland, a Laguna Pueblo member, in the New Mexico gubernatorial election; she will now become the first female Native American state governor in U.S. history.
Courtesy Justin Jones for Navajo Nation President via Facebook
Curley’s running mate, tribal energy attorney Christopher Deschene, will step into the vice president role. They are both set to take office in January.
Though the Navajo Nation is traditionally a matrilineal society, voters have never previously elected a woman to its top leadership post. The last time a woman was on the presidential ticket was 2010, after former New Mexico state Sen. Lynda Lovejoy became the first woman to clinch the primary.
“This is your victory,” Curley said at her watch party Tuesday. “We have all worked hard because we said we want a positive direction, and this was an outcry from the people for love.”
Sandoval, 51, a barbershop owner and motivational speaker, said she never imagined the Navajo Nation would have a female president. But she found herself overwhelmed with emotion, including pride, as the results poured in, she said.
“It just gives me hope for my daughter and my grandchildren — and not only for them, but for the many young women that are out there — that anything’s possible as a woman, as a Diné woman,” Sandoval said.
Tyrell Descheny (Diné), 33, a Navajo rug weaver and sheepherder of Rock Point, Ariz., said part of him was skeptical about the prospect of Curley wining the election. Descheny and many others grew up with the mindset that a woman couldn’t lead the Navajo Nation, he said.
“All they pretty much would tell us was … how it’s going to cause chaos and destruction, but … they really had no evidence to back up exactly what they were saying,” Descheny said. “So for me, on my end, that’s when I said, ‘Well maybe, just one time, we’ll see how it is.’ ”
Descheny has supported Curley’s political endeavors since she was voted to serve as speaker in 2023, he said.
He described Jones as a “sore loser.” Curley’s platform speaks for itself, he said.
“It is time for a change — knowing that Navajo society is a matrilineal society, but yet, we continue to put the women in the back,” Descheny said. “So, I’m all for Crystalyne becoming president, and I’m just here to support and look what she has in store for the rest of us.”
Lily Alexander is a state accountability reporter for The New Mexican and Searchlight New Mexico, focusing on equity and transparency. Her position is part of the New Mexican Public Service Journalism Fund, and her stories are available to all readers without a paywall.
