Lynda Lovejoy announces candidacy for Navajo Nation President

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. - With her supporters, family and campaign staff at her side, Lynda Lovejoy announced her candidacy for Navajo Nation president on May 4.

"I am listening to our people and we must hear from them," she said. "I am running to help restore integrity back to our tribal government and to bring pride back to the Navajo Nation. Our core Navajo values of using the concept of k'e ... is gradually being diminished."

Lovejoy mentioned there will be many challenges and obstacles ahead, but the Navajo Nation will overcome them through teamwork and coordination. She agrees some kind of government reform is needed, but it must be comprehensive across all three branches of government.

"Our three branch government is strong and it can work - it really can. There is nothing wrong with it, it is simply a lack of understanding of how it really works," she said. "It can be repaired, everything can be healed. We can make our government strong once again, we can make it vibrant and we can build it up to where it should be ... Let us get back to the basics. Let us get our core values back in order and ... begin to address the multitude of needs out there on our Navajo Nation. We need to refocus on our priorities, on the priorities of our Navajo people."

Lovejoy has been a Democratic member of the New Mexico Senate since 2007. She also served in the New Mexico House of Representatives for 10 years from 1988 to 1998. She served eight years on the New Mexico Public Regulatory Commission as a commissioner and served as chairperson three times. She is also a current member on the board of directors for Navajo Technical College, formerly the Crownpoint Institute of Technology.

Lovejoy is from Crownpoint, N.M. (T'iis ts'ooz). Her clan is Ts'ahyisk'idnii (Sagebrush Hill Clan), she is born for Kinyaa'aani (Towering House clan), her maternal grandfather's clan is Tse'nahabilnii and her paternal grandfather's clan is To'dich'ii'nii (Bitter Water Clan). She is the daughter of the late Tommy Murphy from Iyanbito, N.M. and of Grace A. Tsosie of Crownpoint.

She has a bachelor of science degree in public administration from Northern Arizona University, an associate of arts degree in elementary education from the University of New Mexico and she has a graduate program in progress for an MBA from New Mexico Highlands University.

For more information, visit www.lyndalovejoy.org.

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