(Update:Â This article was updated at 4:17 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, to reflect reporting by the Cherokee Phoenix that the Cherokee Nation Election Board struck the candidacy of David Walkingstick and Steve Carter for living outside of the district for which they filed during a Feb. 24 hearing. Aside from striking disqualified candidates and correcting the spelling of Joie Sneed’s name, this article remains in its original form.)
Nine seats on the the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council, the legislative branch for Oklahoma’s largest tribe by population, drew 33 candidates over the four-day filing period in Tahlequah earlier this month. All nine seats drew at least two candidates, setting up a competitive election season for the Cherokee Nation this summer.
Voters in Tribal Council Districts 4, 5 and 9 will select their new representatives after incumbents E. O. Smith, Mike Dobbins and Speaker Mike Shambaugh were term limited. (Smith lost a bid to unseat the incumbent from House District 2 of the Oklahoma Legislature last year.) The Cherokee Nation Constitution prevents serving more than two consecutive terms, but it allows councilors to run again after taking an election cycle off. Incumbent Councilors Candessa Tehee, Joshua Sam, Melvina Shotpouch, Kendra McGeady, Danny Callison and Johnny Kidwell all filed for reelection for a second term.
In November, councilors approved new district maps for the 2025 election, redistricting for the first time since 2013. Cherokee citizens living at-large or in Districts 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 15 will vote for their next councilor Saturday, June 7. A runoff election is scheduled for July 26 if no candidate receives a majority in any race.
Cherokee Nation candidate filing
The following candidates, in alphabetical order by last name per district, filed by the Feb. 6 deadline:
District 2 (Tahlequah):
- Issac Collins, of Tahlequah;
- Candessa Tehee, the incumbent councilor; and
David Walkingstick, a former councilor from 2011 to 2019, candidate for principal chief in 2017, and candidate for deputy chief in 2023.
District 4 (Muscogee, McIntosh and Sequoyah counties):
Steve Carter, a former Sequoyah County commissioner for District 2 from 2004 to 2020;- Janis Dearman, a former senior Cherokee Nation Businesses employee now working for Ho-Chunk Inc., a company owned by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska;
- Elana Strable Gallardo, a model, actress and employee with the Cherokee Nation Office of Veteran Affairs;
- Uriah Grass of Vian, who has a history as a competitive fisherman;
- Stephen Maples, an employee at Cherokee Nation Enterprises;
- Mandy Scott, the owner of the Harmony House tearoom in Muskogee; and
- Joie Sneed, an educator.
District 5 (Tulsa, Sperry and Owasso):
- Ashley Grant, a former senior director for laboratory sciences at the Cherokee Nation;
- Frank Whitlock, a Marine Corps veteran; and
- Charles Wilkes, a member of the City of Tulsa’s housing and urban development committee and sales tax overview committee.
District 7 (Adair and Sequoyah counties):Â
- Derrick Ross, a former Cherokee Nation security guard; and
- Joshua Sam, the incumbent councilor.
District 9 (Mayes, Delaware and Craig counties):
- Anthony Davis, a former Cherokee Casinos employee;
- Rusty Henson, a U.S. Army veteran, former GRDA police officer and owner of Henson Protection Services;
- Clifton Hughes, a candidate for the Tribal Council’s District 9 in 2017;
- Debra McGlasson, a retired human resources professional;
- Connie Newton, a candidate for the Wickliffe Public Schools Board of Education in 2024;
- Mike Purcell, a candidate for the Tribal Council’s District 11 in 2021; and
- Cody Scott, who does not appear to have a campaign website.
District 10 (Delaware and Ottawa counties):
- Haley Buzzard, the business development director for AISES and a member of the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas; and
- Melvina Shotpouch, the incumbent councilor.
District 11 (Washington, Nowata, Craig and Rogers counties):
- Timothy Keeton, of South Coffeyville;
- Janatha Ketchum-Carter, a Vinita bail bondsman; and
- Kendra McGeady, the appointed incumbent councilor.
District 15 (Rogers and Mayes counties):
- Jennifer Blalock, an administrative manger at Palmer Addiction Recovery Services; and
- Danny Callison, the incumbent councilor.
At-large District:
- Jonathan Carter, an army veteran and attorney;
- William Crowder II, who appears to have little online presence;
- Johnny Jack Kidwell, an incumbent councilor; and
- Brandi Ross, a businesswoman who most recently worked for The Akana Group in Tulsa.
Candidates filing for office must be 25 years old by the date of the election, must be “domiciled” within their district and must be citizens of the Cherokee Nation.
Cherokee Supreme Court Justice Shawna Baker resigns
In addition to new tribal councilors, Cherokee citizens will have a new Cherokee Nation Supreme Court justice later this year after Justice Shawna Baker resigned Feb. 1 to take a position with Cherokee Nation Businesses. First appointed in 2020 by Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., Baker was the first openly LGBTQ person to serve on the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Tulsa College of Law.
Cherokee Nation Supreme Court justices serve 10-year terms, and in the event of a vacancy, the new appointee serves the rest of the vacating justice’s term. Hoskin Jr. is expected to announce a replacement within the month, according to a press release in Anadisgoi. His nominee must be a Cherokee Nation citizen admitted to practice law in any U.S. state, and they will require the support of a majority of the Cherokee Nation Tribal for confirmation.
(Correction: This article was updated at 10:45 a.m. Friday, Feb. 21, to correct the spelling of Joie Sneed’s name.)
