Sierra Yazzie Asamoa-Tutu Projected as First Diné on Gallup City Council

Unofficial returns from the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office show Sierra Yazzie Asamoa‑Tutu winning Gallup’s District 2 city council seat with 561 votes to Michael W. Schaaf’s 370, a margin of 191 votes and roughly 60 percent of the total, with all 71 precincts reporting. The numbers remain unofficial but place Yazzie Asamoa‑Tutu as the first Diné person elected to serve on the Gallup City Council.

Yazzie Asamoa‑Tutu, a licensed clinical social worker and political newcomer, is slated to be sworn in at the start of the next term in January 2026 and is reported to be the only new member joining the council at that time. The vote totals and precinct reporting are drawn from the Secretary of State attribution in published returns; at least one summary of the contest described unofficial returns during a Feb. 17–24 reporting period, while other outlets dated reporting to November 2025, a discrepancy that has not been reconciled publicly.

During the campaign Yazzie Asamoa‑Tutu emphasized infrastructure, housing and quality of life as central priorities. She listed immediate action items that include reviving the Indian Hills Neighborhood Association, organizing with manufactured‑home parks to advocate for residents, and addressing behavioral health and homelessness through partnerships with local organizations. Reflecting her organizing emphasis, Yazzie Asamoa‑Tutu said, “I am focused on organizing at the grassroots level and listening to constituents. I’m already so humbled and honored by the stories shared with me and the faith put in me to make a difference for people’s struggles in our community.”

Yazzie Asamoa‑Tutu also framed the win as a response to long‑standing local issues around housing and city accountability. “We have a housing crisis and a lack of accountability at the level of city leadership. How can we say we are representing our whole community when we have not a representative government?” she said, signaling an early policy focus on housing and governance changes once seated.

The contest carries added weight in a city with a large Native population. One report citing the 2020 Census put Gallup’s Native American share at more than 43 percent, while other accounts described Gallup as a little more than half American Indian and Alaska Native. Gallup sits on the edge of the Navajo Nation along U.S. Route 66 and Interstate 40, roughly 30 minutes from Window Rock, the tribal nation’s capital; local coverage has also noted persistent community tensions and reports that racism remains a significant issue.

Next steps include formal certification of the returns by the appropriate state or county canvassing authorities and the January 2026 swearing‑in that would seat Yazzie Asamoa‑Tutu as Gallup’s District 2 councilor and, by multiple reports, the city’s first elected Diné council member. She has discussed her priorities further on regional programming and podcasts as she prepares for the transition to City Hall.