A majority of the Tribal Council of the Navajo Nation has endorsed Howard Shanker in his quest for the Democratic nomination in the first congressional district.
The tribe, with a reservation the size of West Virginia, is overwhelmingly Democratic and holds a substantial share of the votes in the swing district, currently held by Republican Rick Renzi, who is under indictment for corruption.
The elders of the quarter-million member Nation made the endorsement after horseback riders from the four corners of the reservation converged at Window Rock in ceremonies to mark the opening of the summer session of the council.
In addition to the endorsement by a majority of the legislative body of the tribe, Shanker has been steadily picking up endorsements from local government entities. Shanker previously received endorsements from all three agencies of the Navajo Nation in CD-1, including the Ft. Defiance, Western and Central Agencies. He recently received endorsements from the Indian Wells and Oak Springs Chapters, adding to previous endorsements from Tuba City, Bird Springs, Cameron, Coal Mine Canyon, and Fort Defiance.
The Dine Hataathlii Association, a prestigious organization of more than 300 Medicine Men and Women, endorsed Shanker this spring, the first time they have ever endorsed a political candidate.
Shanker attributes his support from the Navajo Nation to his long-standing record of advocacy at the federal level. Navajos "want to elect a candidate who is qualified, prepared, and sincerely committed to fighting for things that are important," Shanker said. " My proven track record at the federal level for the Navajo Nation and other tribes is unmatched by any of the other candidates for this seat."
Shanker is the attorney for the Navajo Nation, as well as the Yavapai-Apache Nation, the White Mountain Apache Tribe, the Havasupai Tribe, the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity. He has distinguished himself as a leader in the fight to protect holy and sacred sites.
Shanker also represents the Navajo Nation on uranium contamination issues. In November, Shanker accompanied a delegation of Dine’ who were testifying in front of Congress on the ravages of uranium contamination on the Navajo Nation. Shanker also recently helped file briefs on an important issue of tribal sovereignty in the Ninth Circuit for the White Mountain Apache Tribe. He previously represented the Black Mesa Trust, a coalition of Navajo and Hopi who were fighting to stop Peabody Coal from draining the "N" aquifer to slurry coal to the Mojave generating station. Shanker is also an attorney on the case that recently kept the Desert Nesting Bald Eagle from being taken off of the endangered species list – a case in which many of the Apache tribes filed amicus briefs.
According to Dennis Banks, a long-time Native American activist and one of the organizers of the Longest Walk which recently concluded in Washington, D.C., "I fully endorse Howard Shanker for Congress. It is refreshing to find somebody who has done so much for our people and our Mother Earth who is willing to run for Congress." Shanker was a guest speaker and host for the Longest Walk in Flagstaff. He was also the Grand Marshal in the Western Agency fair/parade last year. He rode his Harley Davidson with the Navajo Honor Riders in the parade to honor Native Veterans in Sacaton, Arizona and rode in the Veterans Day "Run for the Rez" on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. He has been a guest lecturer at Dine’ College, and at Tuba City High and delivered commencement addresses at Little Singer and the Star Schools. On April 15, Shanker was the keynote speaker at the Navajo Nation’s Environmental Days in Window Rock, Arizona.
Shanker, who received his law degree from Georgetown University while working for the U.S. Department of Justice, and who was appointed by President Clinton to serve a three-year term on the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council, Enforcement Subcommittee, has a record of legal activism on issues important to the Navajo Nation and other tribes, that is unmatched by any other candidate in the CD-1 race.
To learn more about Howard Shanker and his campaign, go to www.Shanker2008.com.
Shanker is also an Act Blue candidate.