2023 Cherokee Nation principal chief election

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| <- 2019 | June 3, 2023 | 2027 ->

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Candidate  | Chuck Hoskin Jr. | Cara Cowan Watts | Wes Nofire
Popular vote  | 10,756 | 4,095  | 1,720
Percentage  | 62.76% | 23.89%  | 10.04%

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| Principal Chief before election

Chuck Hoskin Jr.

| Elected Principal Chief

Chuck Hoskin Jr.

|

The 2023 Cherokee Nation principal chief election was held on June 3, 2023, concurrently with the 2023 Cherokee Nation tribal council elections and 2023 Cherokee Nation deputy chief election, to elect the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Incumbent principal chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. ran for re-election to a second term in office with incumbent deputy chief Bryan Warner as his running mate and was re-elected to a second term.[a]

## Candidates

[edit]

### Declared

[edit]

* David Cornsilk, genealogist and former Bureau of Indian Affairs researcher[2]
* Cara Cowan Watts, former Deputy Speaker of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council and candidate for principal chief in 2015[2]
* Running mate: David Walkingstick, former tribal councilor and candidate for principal chief in 2019[2]
* Chuck Hoskin Jr., incumbent principal chief[3]
* Running mate: Bryan Warner, incumbent deputy chief[3]
* Wes Nofire, tribal councilor and candidate for Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district in 2022[2]

## Campaign

[edit]

Chuck Hoskin Jr. pledged that if re-elected, he would continue his work preserving the Cherokee language, building more hospitals, providing job training for Cherokee citizens, and addressing the opioid crisis. Cara Cowan Watts touted her status as the only woman in the race; if elected, she would be the Cherokee Nation's first female principal chief since 2011. She promised to address the healthcare worker shortage while also improving education and housing. Wes Nofire said his top priority would be to reduce wasteful spending by the Cherokee government. David Cornsilk pledged to reform the tribal court system and increase access to healthcare and housing.[4]

Hoskin's challengers accused him of mismanaging COVID relief funds, giving unnecessary pay raises to elected officials, not doing enough to preserve Cherokee culture, and failing to ensure adequate staffing at healthcare facilities. He defended his record on these issues, though he also acknowledged the staffing issue and proposed expanding telehealth.[5]

### Legal issues

[edit]

Cara Cowan Watts and David Walkingstick's campaigns were barred by the Cherokee Nation district court from operating a "registration checker" on their campaign website that allowed users to look up Cherokee voters' names and addresses by an injunction after the court ruled its operation violated the Cherokee Nation Election Law and Privacy Act. Walkingstick's attorney, former Cherokee Nation principal chief Chad Smith, described the ruling as a "political stunt."[6]

## Results

[edit]

Candidate| Votes| %

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Chuck Hoskin Jr.| 10,756| 62.76
Cara Cowan Watts| 4,095| 23.89
Wes Nofire| 1,720| 10.04
David Cornsilk| 568| 3.31
Total| 17,139| 100.00
Valid votes| 17,139| 99.79
Invalid/blank votes| 36| 0.21
Total votes| 17,175| 100.00
Source: [7]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Principal chief and deputy chief are elected separately, but some candidates campaign together as running mates.[1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Crumbacher, Katrina (May 31, 2023). "Three challenge Hoskin Jr. in race for Cherokee Nation principal chief". NonDoc. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
2. ^ a b c d Serrano, Sara (January 25, 2023). "Cherokee Nation candidates lining up to file". Tahlequah Daily Press. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
3. ^ a b "Hoskin, Warner kick off re-election campaign". Tahlequah Daily Press. December 15, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
4. ^ Deggs, Kaitlyn (February 14, 2023). "Four Candidates Face Off for Principla Chief in Cherokee Nation Elections". KOTV-DT. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
5. ^ Herrera, Allison (April 28, 2023). "Cherokee Nation Principal, Deputy Chief candidates debate issues in Tahlequah". KOSU. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
6. ^ Hunter, Chad (May 11, 2023). "Court orders halt to release of Cherokee voter info". Cherokee Phoenix. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
7. ^ "2023 Elections Official Results" (PDF). Cherokee Nation Election Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 25, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

Official campaign websites

* Cara Cowan Watts for Principal Chief
* Chuck Hoskin Jr. for Principal Chief
* Wes Nofire for Principal Chief

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See also: Cherokee-language Wikipedia

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