TULSA, Okla. (AP) — The 2015 Cherokee Nation campaign for principal chief is picking up where the last one left off.
Although several candidates have declared they'll run, the attention is on two political veterans in the June 27th race: current Chief Bill John Baker and his predecessor, former Chief Chad Smith.
Their 2011 campaign was marked by several recounts that, at different times, showed each of them winning. Eventually, the tribe's Supreme Court ordered a new round of balloting and Baker prevailed.
Disputes over the election landed in tribal and federal courts.
The principal chief oversees a $750 million budget, 9,000 employees, casino operations and the country's largest tribal health care system.