Daniel Herrera Carbajal
ICT

The big news to come out of this week’s primary election: Claire Valdez is one step closer to a congressional seat. 

The New York state assembly member is running for Congress to represent the state’s 7th District as a Democrat. She is from Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, a federally recognized tribe based in El Paso, Texas. 

The 7th District includes New York neighborhoods like East New York, Long Island City, Williamsburg, Buswick, Astoria, and Ridgewood. 

Valdez vies for Rep. Nydia Velázquez’s seat, who was the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in Congress. She has been in Congress since 1993 and is retiring. 

New York City Zohran Mamdani endorsed Valdez and two other congressional candidates in the state. All of them won their primaries. 

From left, Democratic congressional candidates Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., Mayor Zohran Mamdani and candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier gesture on stage during a Get Out The Vote rally ahead of New York’s primary election, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

The big picture

Two Native candidates ran for office in New York and nine in Utah on June 23, according to ICT and Advance Native Political Leadership’s database. There was a 10th Native candidate running in Utah who withdrew from the race.

Ten of the 11 Native candidates running for office in New York and Utah will be advancing to November.

New York and Utah were part of multiple states holding elections along with Maryland and South Carolina runoff elections on Tuesday, June 23. 

The two states are home to 16 federally recognized tribes: eight in New York and eight in Utah.

Karen Hoak, Oneida Nation of the Thames, lost the Democratic primary race for District 149 of the New York State Assembly.

Utah had two Native candidates running for the state house of representatives, five for San Juan County commission, one for San Juan District School Board and one for San Juan County clerk/auditor.

Jaime Harvey, Diné, will advance to the general election in November after winning the Republican primary race for San Juan County Commissioner, District 3.

The northern part of the Navajo Nation is in San Juan County, Utah. 

Eight of the nine Native candidates in Utah did not appear on the ballot as the Democratic primaries for multiple counties in Utah, including San Juan County, were cancelled due to them being uncontested. 

They will appear on the general election ballot on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

New York

  • NOVEMBER BALLOT: Claire Valdez: US House of Representatives, New York, District 7, Democrat, Ysleta del Sur Pueblo
  • LOST: Karen Hoak: New York State Assembly, District 149, Democrat, Oneida Nation of the Thames

Utah 

  • NOVEMBER BALLOT: Daylene Redhorse: San Juan County Clerk/Auditor, Democrat, Diné
  • NOVEMBER BALLOT: Curtis Yanito: San Juan County Commission, District 3, Democrat, Diné 
  • NOVEMBER BALLOT: Jaime Harvey: San Juan County Commission, District 3, Republican, Diné
  • NOVEMBER BALLOT: Malcolm Lehi: San Juan County Commission, District 2, Democrat, Ute Mountain Ute
  • NOVEMBER BALLOT: Norman Lameman: San Juan County Commission, District 3, Democrat, Diné
  • NOVEMBER BALLOT: Terry Whitehat: San Juan County Commission, District 2, Democrat, Diné
  • NOVEMBER BALLOT: Colleen Benally: San Juan School District School Board, District 3, Nonpartisan, Diné
  • NOVEMBER BALLOT: Angela Romero: Utah House of Representatives, District 25, Democrat, Shoshone-Bannock
  • NOVEMBER BALLOT: Tracie Yellowman Tso: Utah House of Representatives, District 69, Democrat, Diné

Daniel Herrera Carbajal is a Multimedia Journalist for the ICT Newscast and ictnews.org. Carbajal is based out of ICT Southwest headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona.