Andrew Curley Interviewed
B · From the record Summaries are drawn from Cal Nez’s interview. Quotations are not published until checked against the recording. How we verify →
- Office sought
- President, Navajo Nation
- Home chapter
- Houck Chapter, Fort Defiance Agency
- Background
- Associate Professor, University of Arizona; PhD Development Sociology; former Diné Policy Institute researcher
- Incumbent
- No
- Education
- PhD in development sociology; works at the University of Arizona
- Interview date
- Interview — May 15, 2026
- Interview status
- Interviewed by Cal Nez — Politics on the Navajo Nation (2026)
From the record, in one paragraph:
Their overall approach
Curley is an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona with a PhD in development sociology — the study of the structural forces that limit or expand people's opportunities. From their answers →
Summary
A summary in the site’s words, drawn from the candidate’s recorded interview — not a quotation and not the candidate’s own wording. Their exact words are in the interview video.
Andrew Curley is a member of the Houck Chapter and an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona (PhD in development sociology), running for Navajo Nation President. His interview with Cal Nez centered on land reform, the structure of the government, and the president's role as a manager.
Curley's candidacy is built around governance from the ground up. He believes the Office of the President and Vice President (OPVP) has grown too large, too expensive, and too distant from the chapters where real governance should happen. His proposal to cut OPVP staff roughly in half is not simply a cost-cutting measure. It reflects a philosophical position: the presidency should function as a coordinator, not a power center.
On economic development, Curley explicitly rejects any new uranium mining, arguing that radioactive contamination of land and water is permanent. His alternative framework emphasizes sustainable development grounded in Diné values.
Where they stand
- Land reform — overhaul the grazing permit system that blocks housing construction across the Nation
- OPVP reduction — cut the office's staff roughly in half and redirect the savings to unfunded programs
- Local governance — return authority and resources to the chapter level
- No new uranium mining — uphold the Diné Natural Resources Protection Act of 2005; pair economic development with sustainability
- Constitutional development — move toward more accountable elected leadership
Interview Q&A
In the interview, this candidate addressed:
Background & Perspective · Top Priority: Land & Grazing Reform · Downsizing the Office of President · Title 2 & the Executive-Legislative Conflict · Government Reform & a Navajo Constitution · The President's Real Job: Managing 80% of Revenues
In their own words: “I think it’s about time we fundamentally re-examine grazing laws in the Navajo Nation and see how we can open up vast areas of land for home sites, for commercial, for industrial, if that becomes a possibility.”
Related issues
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