Five candidates are challenging incumbent Chief Lewis Johnson to lead the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma in this year’s July 12 election, which also features races for assistant chief and several band chiefs, who compose the tribe’s legislative body.
Johnson, who ousted his predecessor in 2021 by receiving 59.5 percent of the 1,712 votes cast, is pursuing his first reelection campaign. His five challengers are Alfreda Doonkeen, Stephaney Lambert, Richmond Larney II, Alex Rabiee and Sena Yesslith. Every candidate in the race except Rabiee has some prior experience working for the nation.
The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma is headquartered in Wewoka, and its tribal jurisdiction encompasses Seminole County. Following the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma, the state Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the existence of the Seminole Nation Reservation.
In-person voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at five polling locations, and voting is open to all Seminole Nation of Oklahoma citizens over age 18. Voters will need to bring an official tribal, state or federal photo ID to cast a ballot in person, according to the tribe’s website. A candidate must receive the majority of the votes cast to win. If no candidate receives over 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election between the two candidates who earned the most votes will be held on August 9.
The following cheat sheet is based on publicly available information, such as campaign websites, news reports and social media posts. Information also comes from a candidate forum where those running spoke about their platforms June 28. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order, and the “candidate video” each recorded for the tribe’s YouTube channel is embedded accordingly.
Alfreda Doonkeen
Age:Â 66
Hometown: Oklahoma City
Profession/background: According to her candidate interview, Alfreda Doonkeen earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Oklahoma City University. She served on the National Indian Health Board for five years, specifically on the public accreditation advisory board. Doonkeen also served on the executive board of the Southern Plains Health Board. In her interview, Doonkeen said she chaired the Seminole Nation Health Advisory Board for five years.
Platform:Â In a Seminole Nation candidate forum, Doonkeen said she intends to increase awareness about tribal government. To do so, she proposed composing lessons about the Seminole Nation General Council and posting them to social media. Doonkeen also put forth the idea of publishing a daily tribal government agenda on YouTube.
In addition, Doonkeen proposed going through the U.S. Department of Justice to secure funding to distribute to Seminole Nation programs.
“We don’t ever go through the Department of Justice for grants or extra money. We just think, ‘It’s just the Feds,’ and we just have to put in our wants and our want list,” Doonkeen said. “But there are several other administrations within the Feds that we can tap, and we can get this extended.”
During the forum, Doonkeen also encouraged citizens to stand together and support each other in the wake of hard times.
Online:Â Facebook
Lewis Johnson (incumbent)
Age:Â 62
Hometown: Wewoka
Profession/background: Lewis Johnson defeated incumbent Greg Chilcoat to become chief of the Seminole Nation in 2021. Prior to that, Johnson served as assistant chief from 2013 to 2017. He is an associate pastor at Indian Nations Baptist Church in Seminole, according to an interview with the nation. Johnson also served two terms on the general council for the Tallahassee Band. In addition to governmental roles, Johnson devoted about 20 years to museum fellowships in both Florida and Oklahoma.
Platform:Â As the incumbent chief, Johnson has been defending his four-year term during the campaign while noting major developments, including the construction of a new Transit Plaza in the city of Seminole.
In a June 21 Facebook post, Johnson pushed back on the idea that “nothing has been done” by his administration.
“Let me be clear: under this executive office, the Seminole Nation has secured more grant and contract funding than at any point in modern history — excluding COVID relief — through strategic leadership, relentless pursuit of opportunity, and a deep responsibility to our people,” Johnson said. “These are not abstract numbers — these are lifelines to programs, services, and jobs for our tribal citizens.”
Johnson also said citizens should realize the state of affairs he “inherited” in 2021.
“When we took office nearly four years ago, we inherited significant challenges. Many federal programs were out of compliance. Our Lighthorse Department was reduced to one dispatcher,” Johnson said. “A federal notice of non-compliance had already been issued to the previous administration, and I received a demand by the federal funding agency for law enforcement to have a corrective action plan in place due the Monday after being sworn in as chief on Saturday. I requested an extension and within 30 days, thanks to the swift action of the current Lighthorse chief and team, we filled all vacant officer positions, submitted a full corrective action plan, and restored our good standing. Even the federal agency questioned how we did it so quickly.”
Asked at a candidate forum how he would ensure transparency and accountability in tribal governance, Johnson said communication is key. However, Johnson also stressed that it is not a chief’s duty to control internal affairs within the tribe’s 14 bands.
“I come from old school with respect for that, and because I have respect for that, I don’t go around doing that,” Johnson said. “As far as transparency, everything that this administration has done has gone before the tribal council, before the band chiefs, before those bands for voting on those measures that have come across.”
Later in the forum, Johnson also emphasized communication to federal representatives across Oklahoma and throughout different tribes. Johnson specifically referenced U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK5), U.S. Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) and Muscogee Creek Nation Chief David Hill.
In his closing remarks, Johnson highlighted achievements from his administration. Specifically, Johnson lauded two resolutions passed by the General Council which authorized the expenditure of funds received under the American Rescue Plan Act for household assistance.
“I made sure when I was sworn as chief we were going to address the people’s needs in that particular area. The very first measure that this administration did was to get that distribution out to the people,” Johnson said. “Other areas of improvement is not just ARPA. We have received the largest amount of grant funding in the history of the Seminole Nation.”
Online: Campaign Facebook
Stephaney Lambert
Age: 51
Hometown: Seminole
Profession/background: Stephaney Lambert received her associate’s degree from Seminole State College, later studying business and ethics at Family of Faith Christian University, according to her video interview. She said she has 25 years of experience working with tribal nations. Lambert won election to the Seminole Nation General Council as a representative of the Mekusukey Band in 2021. Prior to serving in the Seminole Nation’s legislative body, Lambert served on the Seminole City Council beginning in 2017.
Platform:Â Lambert said in the interview that she chose to run for chief because she believes the nation can do better as a sovereign entity.
“We need to protect those sovereign rights that we have, and we haven’t seen any time like this because of the McGirt case,” Lambert said. “The choices we make over the next few years will determine our sovereign position for the foreseeable future. That really matters to me because our people matter.”
When asked during the candidate forum how she would protect the nation’s sovereignty if elected chief, Lambert said she wants to protect its taxation authority within the Seminole Nation and not allow Gov. Kevin Stitt to misappropriate funds at the state level. For years, the tribe has maintained that it has the right to collect severance taxes on oil and gas production within its reservation boundaries, and more recently the Stitt administration has clashed with the Seminole Nation on the topic of motor vehicle tags.
“[Stitt] is wanting us to bring all of our tags and sell them through the state of Oklahoma, and they’re wanting a portion of all of the tags that we sell,” Lambert said. “That is our sovereign right to tax our own people within our own reservation. (…) We are looking to preserve our rights, not just in Seminole County, but for our people throughout Indian territory.”
Lambert said she intends to foster communication between the nation’s program directors and bands, and also with the public. She said she wants to reintroduce director’s meetings, which would allow each program director to know more intimately how the other is performing.
Online: LinkedIn
Richmond Larney II
Age:Â 55
Hometown: Long Beach, California
Profession/background:Â After graduating high school in California, Richmond Larney II went to work at an oil refinery. From there, Larney pursued a career at the California Department of Forestry and began working as a firefighter. He also attended trade school where he studied business practices. Larney is a current representative of the Ocese Band on the Seminole Nation General Council.
Platform:Â In his video interview, Larney said he is running for chief to serve as the voice of the people. Throughout his time as a council representative, Larney said he has tried to understand what constituents need and has learned how to work together with all the bands.
On June 15, Larney attended the Sovereignty Symposium, an annual conference focused on tribal sovereignty and related legal and policy issues. After listening to speakers at the symposium, including Johnson, Larney expressed disapproval of the current Seminole Nation administration on social media.
“At the recent Sovereignty Symposium, I sat beside successful tribal leaders and respected native attorneys. When our own leader had the opportunity to show leadership, all he could do was repeat a slogan: ‘True Blue Lew.’ It was embarrassing. This was a moment that called for substance, vision, and strength — not slogans and rambling. And yet, people still follow him blindly, like sheep surrounded by wolves, unaware of the danger to the entire herd,” Larney said in a Facebook post.
In another post, Larney campaigned for chief on the value of accountability. He said leaders must own up to mistakes and commit to fixing the problem, as opposed to blaming others for the failure. Larney also questioned what he perceives to be the Johnson administration’s shortcomings, such as unfinished buildings and facilities constructed smaller than intended.
“If elected, I will never hide behind anyone else’s decisions. I’ll work with the General Council to make sure projects are not just approved — they’re completed,” Larney said in the post. “I will bring sunlight into the decision-making process. I’ll be accessible, transparent and accountable — because the people deserve to see the work being done on their behalf.”
Online:Â Facebook
Alex Rabiee
Age:Â 50
Hometown:Â Seminole
Profession/background: After obtaining his GED, Alex Rabiee earned a business degree from the University of Massachusetts Global, according to his interview with the Seminole Nation. Rabiee said he has spent 20 years working in grocery retail, specifically at Walmart. Rabiee said he has never served in any government capacity.
Platform: According to his interview, Rabiee said he chose to run for chief after attending band meetings for more than a year. He said he found the meetings were “not as advertised,” and he discovered his dream is helping the Seminole people.
“I began to see exactly why we get nowhere. I saw what was broken,” Rabiee said. “When I brought this up, they didn’t want to hear anything. So my goal was to get educated [and] get business experience, because that’s one thing I see that we’re not doing very well at. I feel that we are decades behind where we should be.”
At the candidate forum, Rabiee said accountability is the underlying issue with Johnson and his administration, which he intends to change. If elected, Rabiee said he wants to introduce accountability measures into the Seminole Nation Constitution. According to Rabiee, he would work to make it so constituents could circulate recall petitions in response to behavior demonstrated by elected officials.
“What that does is it sends a clear message to our elected representatives that just because you’re elected to a four-year term, if you don’t do right by the people, the people can remove you,” Rabiee said. “The system that we have in place today, when that happens it seems to be nonexistent, if you will, because these accountability problems have continued for several administrations.”
Online: Campaign Facebook | Personal Facebook
Sena Yesslith
Age:Â 47
Hometown: Earlsboro
Profession/background: Sena Yesslith served as a representative of the Mekusukey Band from 2013 to 2021, according to her interview with the Seminole Nation. In 2021, she ran for chief against Chilcoat and Johnson, finishing third with 306 votes (17.8 percent).
For more than a decade, Yesslith worked in child welfare at Eastern Oklahoma Youth Services Inc. and the Indian Child Welfare Department of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. After becoming a mother, Yesslith attended Haskell Indian Nations University where she earned an associate’s degree in 2003.
Platform:Â In her candidate interview, Yesslith said she got more involved with the Mekusukey Band after writing letters to the tribal government for friends.
“I had been attending, but was more involved with asking questions and trying to find out the answers to different things, and why couldn’t we provide more to our people?” Yesslith said. “Why are we being told, ‘No?’ Why is there limited funding where we just stand and sit?”
Yesslith said that during her terms as a representative, she did not experience an administration that communicated with every band effectively. If elected chief, Yesslith said she would foster greater involvement with the people by holding forums and collaborating with other elected officials.
“Any ideas, it’s not just going to be my idea, but it’s a teamwork idea with myself and the assistant chief as well as the council and the people,” Yesslith said. “These are our ideas and these are things that we should be building up together, planning together, communicating with one another, so there wouldn’t be any convincing. It would be communication and open dialogue.”
Online:Â Facebook
