Apache County Board Appoints Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren to Arizona House District 7 Seat

The Apache County Board of Supervisors has appointed Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren to the Arizona House seat for Legislative District 7, filling the vacancy left by Arlando Teller’s resignation and returning the district’s seat to a Navajo Nation citizen. The selection places a 25-year-old Diné attorney in a sprawling rural district that stretches from Peach Springs along the Grand Canyon to the Four Corners and south to Alpine.

The board of three supervisors - Dr. Joe Shirley Jr., Alton Joe Shepherd and Nelson Davis - made the appointment at a special meeting after receiving recommendations from an advisory committee. Under Arizona law the board was required to select a successor from the same political party as the departing representative. Apache County has not released the names of the two other finalists who were under consideration.

Blackwater-Nygren is a Stanford University graduate and holds a Juris Doctor from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. She lives in Red Mesa and is a citizen of the Navajo Nation, identified in reporting by clan as Hashtl’ishnii born for Áshiihí. Reporting describes her as the youngest member of the House at 25 and as a newly minted attorney who passed the Arizona bar last year. She said she is “humbled and honored” by the appointment and added, “I’m willing to fight,” while also indicating a readiness to work across the aisle to get legislation passed.

Her immediate task will be to shepherd bills and priorities left by Arlando Teller, who resigned to accept a federal role as deputy assistant secretary for tribal affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Blackwater-Nygren said she has “a scheduled phone call with him to get up to speed on everything.” She told supervisors that public response influenced the decision: “The supervisors said they got a lot of emails, texts and posts backing me,” and she thanked residents for their support.

Policy priorities she has publicly identified include strengthening voting rights for Native communities and expanding access to quality health care and education. Navajo Nation Speaker Seth Damon praised the appointment, saying the Navajo Nation “looks forward to a collaborative relationship” and that the nation is “pleased to see the seat held by a member of the Navajo Nation maintained with this appointment.” Apache County Democrats chair Priscilla Weaver called the field competitive and said, “We had three excellent candidates and we will look forward to working with Jasmine.”

The appointment also affects legislative arithmetic: Democrats will hold 29 of 60 seats in the Arizona House after the selection. Sources differ on the timing and authority for Blackwater-Nygren’s swearing-in; some reports say she will be sworn in at the state capitol while the Navajo Nation press release states the oath will be administered later by the Arizona Secretary of State. Constituents should watch for official certification and committee assignments and expect the new representative to focus on rural and tribal access issues as she serves the remainder of the term through 2022. For official tribal comment, the Navajo Nation Office of the Speaker lists a communications phone contact at (928) 287-2085.