Kadin Mills
Special to ICT
Chris James, a descendant of Eastern Band of Cherokee, announced Tuesday he is running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in Arizona.
James is the third Native person that ICT knows of seeking to be the first Native American to represent Arizona in Congress. Former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and former Arizona state Rep. Eric Descheenie, Navajo, are both in the 2nd Congressional District race.
James is campaigning as a Democrat to represent Arizona’s 5th Congressional District, which sits southeast of Phoenix and Mesa. It includes parts of Gilbert, Chandler, Apache Junction and Queen Creek. The district is largely urban and suburban, and the population is majority White, 67 percent.
The last Democrat to represent the 5th Congressional District, Harry Mitchell, lost re-election in 2010.
James currently serves as president and chief executive officer of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, an organization that seeks to advance Indigenous entrepreneurs and businesses. The organization annually hosts the popular Reservation Economic Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada.
He joins 18 other candidates who filed a statement of interest with the Arizona election office for the congressional seat. They include:
- Blake Bracht, Democrat
- Bhargav Chirravuri, Democrat
- Thomas “Jay” Feely IV, Republican
- Travis Grantham, Republican
- Brian Hualde, Democrat
- Gary Johnson Jr., Democrat
- Daniel Keenan, Republican
- Chris Lee, Democrat
- Elizabeth Lee, Democrat
- Blake Lynch, Republican
- Kelley Mackaig, Republican
- Will Mcdermott, Republican
- Evan Olson, Democrat
- Justin Poff, Democrat
- Eddie SanMarco Jr., Democrat
- Lisa Schaefer, Republican
- Alex Stovall, Republican
- Manuel Vega, Democrat
Republican incumbent Rep. Andy Biggs is not running for re-election for the congressional seat that he has held since 2016. Instead, Biggs is campaigning for the 2026 Republican gubernatorial nomination. He is a vocal supporter of President Donald J. Trump, including advocating that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
Some of the top issues listed on James’s campaign website include investing in schools and public infrastructure, improving the economy and protecting democracy. “Chris James believes democracy should work for the people — not special interests, partisan extremists or election deniers,” according to his website.
James was a political contributor to FNX and ICT’s election night broadcast in November 2024.
He did not immediately respond to a request for comment with ICT.
The primary election for Arizona is scheduled for Aug. 4, 2026 and the general election is on Nov. 3, 2026.
This story was corrected to show that Chris James is a descendant of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.