Jonathan Nez (born May 26, 1975) is a

Navajo The Navajo or Diné are an Indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. Their traditional language is Diné bizaad, a Southern Athabascan language. The states with the largest Diné populations are Arizona (140,263) and New Mexico (1 ...

politician who served as the 9th

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation (), also known as Navajoland, is an Indian reservation of Navajo people in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah. The seat of government is located in ...

from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

and as a

Navajo Nation Council The Navajo Nation Council () is the Legislative Branch of the Navajo Nation government. The council meets four times per year, with additional special sessions, at the Navajo Nation Council Chamber, which is in Window Rock, Arizona. The counci ...

delegate. Earlier in his career, Nez served as a council delegate representing Tsah Bii' Kin, Navajo Mountain, Shonto, and Oljato Chapters. In 2024, he won the (uncontested) Democratic nomination to represent Arizona's 2nd congressional district, becoming "the first Indigenous political candidate in Arizona to clinch a major party nomination for a congressional seat," but lost to incumbent Republican Eli Crane in the general election.

Early life and education

Nez was born in

Tuba City, Arizona Tuba City () is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated town and census-designated place in Coconino County, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation, United States. It is the second-largest community in Coconino County. The population of the census-design ...

, and attended

Northland Pioneer College Northland Pioneer College (NPC) is a public community college serving the communities of northeastern Arizona. Campuses are located in four of the largest Navajo County communities: Holbrook, Show Low, Snowflake, and Winslow. Five centers are l ...

and

Northern Arizona University Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public research university based in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1899, it was the third and final university established in the Arizona Territory. It is one of the three universities gove ...

(NAU). He attained both a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and a

Master of Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...

from NAU.

Early political career

Jonathan Nez and Jake Steinfeld at Holbrook Fitness Center

Early in his career, Nez served as vice president of the Navajo Nation's Shonto chapter. He also served as a delegate to the Navajo Nation Council, where he represented the Oljato, Ts'ah Bii' Kin,

Navajo Mountain Navajo Mountain ( meaning "Earth Head") is a peak in San Juan County, Utah, with its southern flank extending into Coconino County, Arizona, in the United States. It holds an important place in the traditions of three local Native American tri ...

, and Shonto chapters. In 2015, he was elected Vice President of the Navajo Nation in a ticket led by Russell Begaye. He was formally sworn into office on May 12, 2015.

President of the Navajo Nation (2019–2023)

On November 6, 2018, Nez was elected President of the Navajo Nation by a margin of 33.07% of the vote versus former President Joe Shirley Jr. Shirley had received the endorsement of Begaye and also boasted high name recognition owing to his former tenure. As president, Nez oversaw the Navajo Nation's response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. By September 2021, the Navajo Nation's COVID-19

vaccination Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating ...

rate was higher than in most other parts of Arizona. Nez unsuccessfully campaigned for reelection in 2022, losing to challenger Buu Nygren. During the campaign, Nez endorsed the legalization of

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

on the Navajo Nation.

U.S. national politics

Nez was an early primary supporter of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and served on the Hillary for America Arizona Leadership Council. Nez was selected as one of seventeen speakers to jointly deliver the

keynote A keynote in public speaking is a talk that establishes a main underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address. The keynote establishes the framework fo ...

address at the

2020 Democratic National Convention The 2020 Democratic National Convention was a United States presidential nominating convention, presidential nominating convention that was held from August 17 to 20, 2020, at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and virtual ...

. He was one of the electors for Arizona in 2020 for the presidential election. On October 16, 2023, Nez announced his candidacy for Arizona's 2nd congressional district, currently held by Republican Eli Crane. Crane defeated Nez in the general election, 54% to 45%

2022 vehicle ramming incident

Nez and his family were nearly struck when an SUV drove through a parade in

Gallup, New Mexico Gallup is a city in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States, with a population of 21,899 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A substantial percentage of its population is Native Americans in the United States, Native American, wi ...

. In total, fifteen people were left injured. Nez later reflected on the event saying "You would think it would never happen here. I’m sorry to say it happened here in Gallup, New Mexico." and "it was a difficult time for us".

References

External links

Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President
* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nez, Jonathan 1975 births 2020 United States presidential electors 20th-century Native American people 21st-century Native American politicians Arizona Democrats Living people Native American people from Arizona Northern Arizona University alumni People from Tuba City, Arizona Presidents of the Navajo Nation Vice presidents of the Navajo Nation Candidates in the 2024 United States House of Representatives elections