WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – At dawn on a steamy September morning, political candidates, campaign surrogates and staff mounted parade floats for the trial of Arizona’s primary local vote at the Navajo Nation Fairgrounds.
But despite heavy Republican and Democratic participation in the 76th annual parade, local Arizonans who gathered there said they felt disenfranchised and disconnected from the political system.
“I don’t think they pay enough attention to us or they don’t consider our feelings,” said Lomakoywa Manuel, 25, a musician who expressed frustration with both major parties. “A lot of times they attack sacred and tribal lands and it’s for no other reason than to make money, and I mean, there’s enough of that in the world.”
Lorinda Strayhorn of Albuquerque, New Mexico said, “I don’t think they pay much attention to it. Not just Navajos, but different tribes. We need a lot of attention, love for our children, keeping our children in school.”
“I don’t think they cared at all,” said Leo Mann, 56, a construction worker, when asked if either side cared about issues affecting life on the reservation.
Mann, from Nazlini, said her grandfather, who was in the military, did not take care of her when he returned from service.
“My grandfather passed away in 2001. He never bought an apartment. He applied for it, but he never did,” Mann said. “They should really look at getting veterans assistance. … It doesn’t make any sense to me.”
A bevy of politicians from both parties are after a small but significant portion of the Arizona electorate. Data on Native American activism is hard to come by. Uplift Campaigns, a Democratic strategy firm, estimates that 58,121 Arizonans on tribal reservations voted for Joe Biden in 2020 — when he won Arizona by about 11,000 votes. This figure was arrived at by adding the total of votes from all the precincts on reservations. Arizona Secretary of State. (The data does not take into account Native Arizonans who live off tribal reservations or who cut off the votes of non-Native reservation residents.)
Manuel, Strayhorn and Mann spent the first full weekend in September enjoying the Navajo Nation Fair, riding fun rides, eating fair food and listening to their tribe’s music. Nearly 300 miles away in Phoenix, homeless Navajo Roland Interpreter was having a different kind of weekend.
NBC News first met with The Interpreter in the parking lot of a Safeway in downtown Phoenix on Monday as sweltering, 109-degree heat threatened the homeless.
“Right now, I’m unemployed,” said the 57-year-old Interpreter. “I’m a little homeless, but I’m working on it. I’m not a completely hopeless person. … Since I’m a native, it’s a bit difficult to measure the distance between me and the Caucasian people.”
The translator said both sides cared about tribal issues, but only on a “very limited basis”.
“When a new president comes in … they’re kind of like, ‘Hey, this hot potato is my lap.’ So I hope they will resolve this issue, but it is difficult to predict,” he added pessimistically.
Presidential campaign surrogates, Senate candidates and congressional candidates were out in force in Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation. The Harris-Walz campaign came up with a float, a mobile billboard and a dune buggy as they spread their Democratic message.
Democratic state Sen. Teresa Hatathlie, a Harris campaign surrogate, said Navajo voters’ feelings about disenfranchisement are valid.
“I believe that’s true,” Hatathlie said when asked to respond to the idea that voters’ voices are not being heard at all by the American government.
“Sometimes it’s too easy to see that we’re just a checkbox. We don’t want to be a checkbox,” he said. “We want to be heard, we must listen to understand, not to answer.”
The Trump campaign also sent a surrogate to spread its Make America Great Again message — Arizona GOP Chairwoman Gina Svoboda. Svoboda also felt that the frustration of government neglect among local voters was justified.
“The political system has left the sovereign nation behind because they’re not here, they’re just listening,” he said. “President Trump worked hard to do this, he listened, he campaigned and he made sure he had representatives here in the nations.”
Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake also marched in the parade and agreed with Svoboda.
“I don’t blame them,” Lake said of Navajo voters who feel ignored by the government. “Both of them [parties] In DC, honestly, it didn’t do too well for people. That’s why we need citizen politicians.”
Lake’s opponent in the hotly contested Senate race is Democratic Republican Ruben Gallego, a longtime advocate for indigenous peoples because he served in the Marines alongside Navajo tribal members. Since going to Congress in 2015, Gallego has been the chair of an organization federal hearing On the subject of missing and murdered local women in 2019, Native American Children’s Protection Act and sponsored NOZLAR Law to help improve tribal law enforcement on reservations. His advocacy gave him a warm welcome on the parade route.
“I understand the tribal fiduciary responsibility you have as a member of the Senate for the 22 tribal peoples of Arizona,” Gallego said in an interview before the parade. He has vowed to visit all 22 of Arizona’s federally recognized tribes by Election Day. So far, he has visited 21.
The political candidate receiving the strongest reception at the fair is a tribal member: Jonathan Nez, the Democratic candidate for Arizona’s Republican 2nd Congressional District. Crowded with young kids asking for his autograph, Nez served as president of the Navajo Nation for four years until 2023. Now he’s running in an illegal race to become Arizona’s first homegrown congressman.
“Ruben Gallego, he visits all 22 tribes. He was in Navajo. … He’s like one of us,” Nez said. “But there are other candidates who are coming to Navajo just to get their vote, and it’s time for Native Americans and the Navajo people to recognize that.”
Nez is aiming to unseat incumbent Republican Eli Crane.
In several interviews with Navajo voters at the fair, one issue was mentioned repeatedly as a major problem with life on the reservation.
“The dirt roads are getting worse,” said Denzel Bia, 22, a farmer from the multi-farm. “The big thing is repairing the roads on the Navajo Nation, putting highways on these dirt roads. This will help people and save vehicles.”
Steve Blackrock, 65, of Black Mesa said, “We really don’t have infrastructure on the Navajo reservation, utilities, water power or even roads, a lot of things like that.”
The Biden-Harris administration elevated indigenous voices in a history-making way, selecting former Rep. Deb Haaland to lead the Interior Department. Haaland’s appointment made him the first local cabinet member, and in March he $72 million investment improve electricity infrastructure among tribal communities. The Navajo Nation also used more than $520 million in funding from the Biden-backed law to “nearly double” the Navajo president’s new infrastructure building. announced this year.
Haley Dobbins, Arizona communications director for the Republican National Committee, said in a statement: “The Trump team in Arizona is dedicated to uplifting Native American people and addressing the unique challenges their communities face. We are proud to have staff and volunteers in communities to meet Native American voters where they are.”
Svoboda, the state GOP chairman, argued that Trump’s broad economic policies would support inflation-stricken Native communities and weigh heavily on tribal reservations.
“If you live here, you’re going to have to carry water, and you’re usually going to have to drive 45 miles to get to where you’re going to get the water and then back,” he said. “If you’re looking at out-of-control gas prices, it’s going to cripple you.
“You have to show sensitivity and listen,” Svoboda said, emphasizing empathy and understanding when trying to court the Native American vote.