New Cherokee Nation Chief Wins By 11 Votes
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - The Cherokee Nation elected a new principal chief by just 11 votes and a recount is under way, officials in Oklahoma said.
After an all-night wait as the final votes were counted, final election results posted shortly before 7 a.m. Sunday on the tribal website indicated Bill John Baker has unseated three-term incumbent Chad Smith.
The results show Baker leading Smith by 11 votes out of more than 15,000 cast. The vote margin between the men had been fewer than 30 votes since late Saturday.
Baker is a longtime tribal councilman and Tahlequah businessman. He will take the oath of office on Aug. 14.
The Cherokee Nation is Oklahoma's largest American Indian tribe and one of the nation's biggest, with a membership approaching 300,000 people.
The Tahlequah-based tribe has a 14-county jurisdiction in eastern Oklahoma.
