Arizona Public Radio | Your Source for NPR News
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Begaye Upsets Shirley Jr. In Navajo Presidential Race

Russell Begaye easily beat a former Navajo Nation president Tuesday for the top post on the country's largest American Indian reservation.

  Begaye led Joe Shirley Jr. by about 10,000 votes, according to unofficial results.

Begaye's victory came nearly five months after the original election was scuttled amid court battles sparked by a candidate's ability to speak fluent Navajo.

Begaye is a businessman who served one term on the Navajo Nation Council before jumping into the president's race. He came in third in the August primary, but he replaced Chris Deschene, who was disqualified for failing to prove he met the language requirements for the job.

Begaye says he'll work to create jobs on the reservation where the unemployment rate hovers around 50 percent.

Related Content