Voters in the Muscogee Nation ousted one incumbent, sent another to a runoff and narrowly approved a constitutional amendment that will limit participation in future National Council races to only the district in which a citizen is registered.
Seeking his third term in his first contested re-election bid, Creek District “B” seat incumbent Patrick Freeman Jr. was trounced by Cody Randall Phillips, who received 64.57 percent support in the two-man race. Two other incumbents — Okmulke District Rep. Nelson Harjo Sr. and Tvlse District Rep. Leonard Ray Gouge — were forced into Nov. 8 runoff elections against former Reps. William Dean Lowe and Lucian Allen Tiger III, respectively.
In a pair of open seats featuring no incumbents, Lora Ann Harjo-King won the three-way race for the Mvskoke District, and James Lee Factor won the Kowetv District seat. Incumbent Rep. Sandra Golden won reelection to her Akfske District seat, and Rep. Galen Charles Cloud fended off challenges from Jeff Francis Jr. and former Rep. Adam Jones III to hold onto the McIntosh District seat.
The Muscogee Nation holds elections every two years for its National Council, which has eight districts, each with an “A” seat and a “B” seat. The “B” seats were up for election this year.
According to unofficial results posted by the Muscogee Nation Election Office just after 11 p.m. Saturday, 3,829 total votes were cast in Saturday’s election. With 18,095 Muscogee citizens registered to vote as of Sept. 1, the year’s general election saw about 21 percent voter turnout. When the constitutional amendment re-implementing in-district voting takes effect for future election cycles, the vote totals in each National Council district are expected to drop dramatically.
Constitutional amendment approved
When “A” seats on the Muscogee National Council are up for grabs in 2027, voters registered within each of the council’s eight districts will only be able to vote in their home-district election. That’s because National Council Referendum No. NCA-096 received 67.63 percent support (2,538 votes) Saturday to reinstitute in-district voting. Constitutional amendments require two-thirds support from voters, which means NCA-096 passed by 36 votes.
Muscogee voter registration
by district (Sept. 1)Akfvske – 1,740
Creek – 2,194
Kowetv – 920
Mcintosh – 2,059
Mvskoke – 1,354
Okmulke – 4,365
Tukvpvtce – 1,503
Tvlse – 3,960
TOTAL – 18,095
Muscogee citizens previously voted on a similar proposal in a July 2012 special election, but the 64.21 percent support for returning to district-based voting fell just shy of the two-thirds threshold. Because the 2012 question appeared on a special election ballot, only 1,548 total votes were cast.
If Saturday’s results are formally certified by the Muscogee Nation Election Board, Article VI of the Muscogee Constitution will be amended to strike language granting eligible voters the right to cast ballots for “each and every National Council representative.” Article VI, Section 2(a) language also will change from “each representative shall be elected by a vote of all eligible voters of the nation” to “each representative shall be elected by a vote of his/her respective district.” Article IV, Section 7 of the constitution, which currently says, “All citizens shall be allowed to vote for the principal chief and any such national office that should be created,” will be changed to read, “Eligible voters shall be allowed to vote for the principal chief and second chief.”
Voting in each National Council district — referred to as “at-large” voting — took effect after a 2008 constitutional convention, a controversial move some citizens felt circumvented their right to vote on the change. Those who supported a return to in-district voting argued that it will make representatives more accountable to their local communities and will decrease the influence that Tulsa District residents have throughout the rest of the largely rural reservation.
By returning to in-district voting for future National Council elections, however, per-district vote totals are expected to drop significantly. While the Okmulke District and Tvlse District feature 4,365 and 3,960 registered voters respectively, four other districts have fewer than 1,800 registered voters each. The Kowetv District had only 920 registered voters as of Sept. 1. Muscogee citizens who live outside of the reservation designate a home district for purposes of their voter registration.
Golden retains Akfske District seat
Incumbent Akfske District “B” seat Rep. Sandra Jean Golden won her reelection bid Saturday, securing 51.97 percent support (1,929 votes) against challenger Russell David Wind (1,783 votes).
While Wind had been perhaps the most vocal candidate on the 2025 campaign trail when it comes to the idea of instituting taxes in the Muscogee Nation, Golden herself expressed support for looking at “several” types of taxes to generate revenue for tribal services.
“It’s an easy thing to say, ‘Yeah, let’s do that,’ but we have to understand the pieces of the state as well as the nation,” Golden said about taxation options.
Phillips boots Freeman from Creek District seat
Incumbent Creek District “B” seat Rep. Patrick Freeman Jr. received only 35.43 percent support (1,307 votes) compared to 64.57 percent support (2,382 votes) for Cody Randall Phillips, who said during his campaign that he wanted to “help more people who live outside of the reservation.”
Freeman, on the other hand, was one of four candidates who chose not to conduct an interview with Mvskoke Media ahead of the election, and he was absent from several community forums held throughout the Muscogee Nation Reservation.
Factor wins open Kowetv District seat
James Lee Factor won the open Kowetv District “B” seat with 58.35 percent support (2,138 votes) over Timothy Andrew Jackson Jr., who finished with 41.65 percent (1,526 votes).
Endorsed by retiring Rep. Mark Randolph, Factor told Mvskoke Media during his campaign that he supports the Muscogee Nation investing in its own data centers.
“That ties into data sovereignty, that ties into our health information and our tag information that the (Oklahoma) Turnpike Authority tries to get. DOGE is trying to get all our information,” said Factor, a former member of the Seminole Nation Gaming Commission from 2006 to 2009 and the owner of Tribal Gaming Ventures. “AI will help us free up a lot of processes that our employees will benefit from.”
Cloud fends off Jones, Francis to keep McIntosh District
Incumbent McIntosh District “B” seat Rep. Galen Cloud knocked Adam Jones III out of office in 2021, and four years later he won reelection without a runoff Saturday by topping Jones and Jeff Francis Jr.
Cloud received 51.25 percent support (1,901 votes) to best Jones (1,239 votes) and Francis (569 votes).
During the campaign, Cloud spoke of his efforts to preserve tribal heritage but avoided taking a position on the recent Muscogee Supreme Court decision requiring the enrollment of Freedmen descendants.
Harjo-King wins open Mvskoke District seat
Lora Ann Harjo-King won the open Mvskoke District contest with 53 percent support (1,922 votes) over Sandra Elaine Parish (26 percent) and Jessina Marie Brown (21 percent).
No candidate initially filed to replace retiring Rep. Joyce Deere in the Mvskoke District, with a second filing period for the seat drawing the three candidates who faced off Saturday. During her campaign, Harjo-King spoke of a desire to see government agencies hire more Muscogee citizens right out of college.
“Our youth go to school, go to college, and get a degree, but can’t get a job,” Harjo-King said. “Our first people that we need to put to work for the tribe are those that have gone out, got their degree, came back and want to serve their nation.”
Lowe forces Harjo into runoff for Okmulke District seat
Seeking a return to office after losing his Okmulke District “A” seat reelection bid in 2023, former National Council Speaker William Lowe finished atop a three-way race for the “B” seat Saturday.
Lowe received 41.7 percent support (1,548 votes) and will face incumbent Rep. Nelson Harjo Sr. in the Nov. 8 runoff. Harjo received 32.6 percent support (1,210 votes), while Joshua Randall Wind finished in third place with 25.7 percent (954 votes).
Osborn Yahola keeps Tukvpvtce District seat
Second Speaker Thomasene Ann Osborn Yahola won her third term representing the Tukvpvtce District “B” seat Saturday, finishing with 61.07 percent support (2,254 votes) to defeat challenger Elizabeth Anne Gover-Miller (1,437 votes).
Osborn Yahola spoke during the campaign about a need for more housing access across the Muscogee Nation Reservation.
“I think we need to get some tribal funds into housing,” Yahola Osborn said. “I think in the Indian housing plan, we might build or purchase 35 units a year for our citizens. But with a growing waiting list, we’re not getting anywhere. It’s a rat’s wheel.”
Tiger pushes Gouge into runoff for Tvlse District seat
In 2021, Leonard Ray Gouge defeated then-Rep. Lucian Allen Tiger III to win the Tvlse District “B” seat. In a rematch of sorts Saturday, Tiger finished atop the four-candidate field with 36.59 percent support (1,367 votes). Gouge finished second with 26.15 percent support (977 votes) to face Tiger in a Nov. 8 runoff.
Lahoma Schultz finished third with 20.8 percent support (777 votes), and Ashley Michelle Wolfvoice finished fourth with 16.46 percent support (615 votes).
