Second Youngest Youngest Tribal Councilor in Modern Cherokee History Elected

Caanan Duncan

Published January 7, 2019

TAHLEQUAH, Okla.  — Canaan Duncan won the District 7 Tribal Council special election after receiving nearly 66 percent of the vote Saturday.

At 28-years-old, Duncan is the second youngest Cherokee Nation citizen elected to the Tribal Council in modern Cherokee Nation history.

The unofficial results showed Duncan with 573 votes, or 65.79 percent. Robert Eagle received 185 votes, or 21.24 percent, and Frankie Duncan 113 votes, or 12.97 percent.

“I am humbled and honored to be given the opportunity to serve the Cherokee people,” Duncan said. “Our tribe has seen great progress, and I will do my very best to ensure that it continues and reaches new heights in Adair County.”

More than 850 of the eligible 3,782 Cherokee Nation citizens in District 7, including absentee voters, cast their ballots Jan. 5 to determine who should help lead the tribe for the remaining two years and seven months of former Tribal Councilor Frankie Hargis’s term. Hargis resigned from office in November after being named the tribe’s new registrar.

Results are expected to be certified by Jan. 11.

Duncan will be sworn in at a later date, after results are official and any challenge period has expired.