Editor’s Note – Responses from legislative candidates appear exactly as they were submitted without editing for content or style.
Paul Wesselhöft
Incumbent
What is your Potawatomi Name and Family?
My Potawatomi name is Naganit meaning Leader.
I was named by Linda Capps. I am of the Burnett family. My Great-Great-Great Grandfather was Chief Abraham Burnett.
Where do you reside?
Moore, Oklahoma. I was born and reared in Oklahoma City.
Education and other accomplishments:
My B.A. is in Drama from University of Central Oklahoma; my M.A. is in Religion from Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma; and my M. Div. is in Theology from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts. I am a Poet, Short Story writer, and author of two books. I have won numerous first place awards for poetry and fiction.
Employment:
I served my nation as a Private, Sergeant and a Major. I served during the Vietnam War era and in the First Persian Gulf War. I’m an Army combat veteran. I’m a Retired U.S. Army Chaplain of 20 years, and a retired Oklahoma State Representative of 12 years. I am currently a Representative in the Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s national legislature.
General statement:
As an experienced and trusted government leader, state, and tribe, and a tribal elder, I ask for your vote. We are the only tribal nation with a national legislature, and I have served proudly and wish another term. I would be honored to have your vote, and will serve you with all that I am.
What experiences do you have that can be applied to a legislative position with the Tribe?
My 12 years in the Oklahoma House of Representatives as well as the years serving the Potawatomi citizens of Oklahoma have prepared me to serve again. I also served as both a Chairman and a Vice-Chairmen of important committees as well as Chairman of the Joint House and Senate committee for Native America Affairs. I founded the 21-member Native American Caucus in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
What do you hope to accomplish during your time in office if elected?
I want to increase our prosperity, especially in our many enterprises, and build upon our historical accomplishments. We are a great nation and on the verge of being the 8th largest tribe. I desire that our nation becomes a model of sovereignty, self-government, and Native American leadership throughout Oklahoma and America. As a former Oklahoma State Representative, it’s important that I stand strongly against any effort by the state or federal government to infringe upon our tribal sovereignty.
Describe an effective Tribal leader.
A leader must be ethical and strongly dedicated to advance his tribe’s prosperity and accomplishments. A leader speaks up, sometimes argues, and debates on important Potawatomi issues and resolutions even when his voice and vote is in the minority. However, a tribal leader acknowledges and respects the wisdom of the collective legislature especially when he disagrees with the majority.
Matt Higdon
Challenger
What is your Potawatomi Name and Family?
Muller
Where do you reside?
Tecumseh, Oklahoma
Education and other accomplishments:
Graduated with an Associate’s of Arts in History from Cowley County Community College, where I earned All-American Honors in Track and Field.
Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History from Oklahoma Baptist University, where I hold two school records for the Track and Field Program.
Currently working to earn a Masters in Native American Studies from the University of Oklahoma.
Employment:
Currently, I am a full-time student athlete completing my final semester of eligibility.
General statement:
My name is Matthew Dillon Higdon, and I am running for District 9 Legislature for the next seven generations while learning what the previous seven generations have done for us.
What experiences do you have that can be applied to a legislative position with the Tribe?
Over my life I have grown up just down the road from our tribal headquarters, so you can say that I have grown with the tribe itself. I have seen our golf course redone, our Cultural Heritage Center, Arena, ballfields, and a multitude of other tribal businesses and resources built. I have gotten to see what my elders have built for my generation, so this has inspired me to run to help build the future for the next seven generations.
On top of all of that, I have worked many sports camps for our tribe, worked at our golf course, written encyclopedia entries for our Cultural Heritage Center, worked at our Wellness Center, and have worked several events at Firelake Arena. I also completed the Potawatomi Leadership Program in 2021. This experience working throughout the tribe has given me a lot of perspective and made me grateful for what the past generations have built.
What do you hope to accomplish during your time in office if elected?
I want first and foremost to learn from my elders and really learn how to be an effective tribal leader from them. But then, I would want to help build on and further develop our tribe’s businesses and resources in whatever capacity I can.
Describe an effective Tribal leader.
To me, an effective Tribal leader is a person who never stops learning and trying to improve themselves. The reason for this is because I have always believed that you never know everything, and any chance that you get to improve yourself, you should take because you can only benefit from being better. Another quality that is most important to me is a Tribal leader should be caring and respectful, not only to themselves, their family, and their friends, but also to the stranger walking behind them in the cold trying to get into a warm building. A Tribal leader should brave the cold a little longer to hold the door open for that stranger so they can get warm first. Lastly, I think an effective Tribal leader speaks plainly and efficiently. Now this is a place where I still need to improve myself, but through my many jobs with the tribe I have learned and improved a lot in that capacity.