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Navajos to narrow record list of 18 presidential candidates

Flagstaff, Ariz. • Voters on the country’s largest American Indian reservation are headed to the polls to narrow a record field of 18 candidates for Navajo Nation president.

More than 93,000 Navajos are registered to vote in Tuesday's primary. The top two candidates move on to the November general election.

Candidates have spent the last couple of days campaigning on the radio, in tribal communities and on social media. The field includes seasoned politicians who tout experience and newcomers who are challenging the status quo.

Improving on an unemployment rate that hovers around 50 percent on the vast reservation that stretches into New Mexico, Utah and Arizona, and ensuring Navajos have basic necessities like running water and electricity are central to the campaigns.