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The Salt Lake Tribune

By Shaylee Navarro | October 17, 2024

In the House District 69 race, Logan James Monson and Davina Smith are running to represent much of south-central and southeastern Utah.

Smith, a Diné tribe member, will prioritize affordable healthcare for rural communities and a repeal of food sales tax. Smith currently works as a National Parks Conservation Association consultant.

Republican James Monson, according to his campaign website, promises local control of public lands and increased presence of school resource officers.

The winner of the election will replace Phil Lyman.

The Salt Lake Tribune submitted the same set of questions, based on top issues readers said they were watching in this election, to each candidate. The questions and their answers that appear below...

ETV News

By Traci Bishop | October 15, 2024

As Election Day approaches, I’m asking for your vote to represent Utah House District 69. My name is Davina Smith, and I believe this election is about building a future where every family, no matter where they live, has a chance to thrive.

Raised in Monument Valley and now living in Blanding, I’m a proud mother of four who understands the unique challenges our rural communities face. Growing up in the Diné (Navajo) Nation, I embraced the values of faith, family, and personal responsibility. I’ve witnessed firsthand how hard-working families strive to make ends meet, access quality healthcare, and secure a good education for their children. I’ve dedicated my life to advocating for rural families, Native communities, and hardworking Utahns. Now, I’m ready to bring our shared values to the Utah Legislature—promoting economic opportunity, protecting individual freedoms, and ensuring our rural voices are heard.

The Salt Lake Tribune

By Davina Smith | October 15, 2024

As Election Day approaches, I’m asking for your vote to represent Utah House District 69. My name is Davina Smith, and I believe this election is about building a future in which every family, no matter where they live, has a chance to thrive.

Raised in Monument Valley and now living in Blanding, I’m a proud mother of four who understands the unique challenges our rural communities face. Growing up in the Diné (Navajo) Nation, I embraced the values of faith, family and personal responsibility. I’ve witnessed firsthand how hard-working families strive to make ends meet, access quality healthcare and secure a good education for their children. I’ve dedicated my life to advocating for rural families, Native communities and hardworking Utahns. Now, I’m ready to bring our shared values to the Utah Legislature — promoting economic opportunity, protecting individual freedoms and ensuring our rural voices are heard.

Josh Warburton | Oct 13, 2024

As a current resident of Kanab, and having grown up in Southern Utah, I’m proud to support Davina Smith for Utah State House District 69. Davina brings a unique combination of experiences that we sorely need in our state government. Having grown up in Monument Valley without running water or electricity and having lived through the challenges of Indian Boarding School, she understands the real and diverse struggles that many Utahns face.

Her work in healthcare, education, and the nonprofit sector has given her the practical knowledge to address key issues that affect us all. I’m particularly impressed by her commitment to improving education across Utah.

San Juan Record

By Davina Smith | October 12, 2024

Hello friends and neighbors! My name is Davina Smith and I’m excited to be a candidate to serve as your voice in the Utah Legislature. I’ve had the privilege of calling San Juan County home for most of my life — I live in Blanding now but was raised in Monument Valley. I have four amazing children who love where they grew up, but they can’t find affordable housing or a stable job here. I’m running for State House of Representatives to ensure future generations can thrive in rural Utah.
Much of my career has been in education and healthcare. I’ve worked to develop teacher training programs and expand educational opportunities for our youth. I fought to expand medicaid and support community members in accessing affordable health care. I lead by listening first and bringing voices to the table who are often left out.

October 8, 2024

Davina Smith is hands down the most qualified candidate running to represent rural Utahns on this year’s ballot. We all saw the last run against Lyman in 2022, and I, among many of my neighbors and other locals, felt the heartbreak when he won in such a close election. But what has given me hope is seeing how Davina never gave up. She never gave up on us; she never let party or corporate interests divide the coalition or change her values. In fact, she took it as an opportunity to do more. To get to the root of what issues matter to us most- and include that in her platform. It is a true testament to her character and qualifications, and to see a candidate with a heart that has never hardened, gives me tremendous hope. In fact, she went back to the drawing board and asked her team and the communities in District 69, “What can I do to meet my neighbors where they at? What can we do together to make Utah a better place?” In an age of divisive clickbait, memes, and misinformation, she has stood out as a candidate that stands on her values, above all this noise, while uplifting rural voices and values, never losing sight of what is most important. I will be voting for Davina Smith, and proudly, and I hope to see fellow Utahns in Southern Utah do the same.

Andrew Christiansen | Oct 8, 2024

Democrat Davina Smith and Republican Logan Monson are running fill the Utah House District 69 seat after incumbent Phil Lyman ran for governor this year.

Monson narrowly won his primary against former Grand County Commissioner Lynn Jackson by 131 votes. He currently works as a nurse administrator and a registered nurse.

Smith, a Diné who is running again after losing to Lyman in 2022, has experience in public lands, healthcare and education.

House District 69 encompasses six counties — Grand, Emery, Garfield, Kane, San Juan and Wayne.

Here are the candidates’ answers to questions provided by The Times-Independent.

ETV News| October 4, 2024

Every year I try to learn new lessons and I learned significant ones in 2024. One lesson was America provides liberties you see only in this country and why that makes me proud, but my most valuable lesson was to strive to be a decent, hardworking person. This underrated quality keeps our society functioning.

While some value “telling it like it is,” I look for those quietly in the background, plugging away at their job and helping places run. People who don’t need applause for acts like being helpful to one another. Davina Smith is a unique politician, a kind human who runs for office because she genuinely wants to help her neighbors. Davina Smith’s visions put rural Utahns first, like understanding the need for us to have affordable housing and that our small towns need more autonomy and more local control over the tax dollars that tourism generates.

I also learned the value of keeping your commitments. Davina ran in 2022 and is running again in 2024, committed to helping the same area where she grew up because she wants to see this district succeed.

On November 5th I’m going to use my lessons from this year and vote for Davina for State House District 69 and I hope readers will join me. Being a gentle and honest person is a strength and rural Utah would truly thrive under her leadership.

Rosalie Wind
Kanab, Utah

Navajo Times

By Robert Bettis| October 3, 2024

Davina Smith, a longtime community

Davina Smith, a longtime community advocate and resident of southeastern Utah, is seeking support for the Utah House of Representatives in District 69.

This is Smith’s second bid for Utah’s House District 69. She ran in 2022 against Utah Rep. Phil Lyman who is running as a write-in candidate for Utah governor after Gov. Spencer Cox beat him in the primary.

Smith, who is Táchii’nii and born for Tábąąhá, seeks to represent the people of this diverse rural district, bringing an Indigenous perspective to the state’s legislative process. She is the daughter of Roy and Darlene Smith.

During a recent interview, Smith emphasized her deep-rooted connection to the area and her commitment to ensuring that every voice in District 69 is heard. “I’m running because the majority of these bills proposed don’t even support our rural communities,” Smith said. “Specifically for our Navajo people – my hope is that I will be that voice to make sure our communities are spoken for.”

If elected as a state representative, her primary job will be to propose, debate, and vote on bills that can become state laws. Despite a notable Native population of 60,000 people, Utah has historically experienced a significant lack of Native voices in the house.

ETV News| October 3, 2024

Davina Smith’s motivation to run for a seat in the Utah State House is based on love. Smith is a mother of four, and wants rural Utah to continue to be livable for our children. “My kids are my biggest motivation to build a better world. I love rural Utah and I want there to be affordable housing, sufficient job options, and healthy communities so all of our kids can return and thrive here.”

Smith’s leadership philosophy is deeply rooted in an intrinsic desire to be of service.  “Service leaders” listen, collaborate, heal divisiveness, build community, and generate solutions that work for the greater good. They are effective because they genuinely care about all the people they serve.

During this campaign, Davina Smith has traveled far and wide to meet with the citizens of District #69, and has listened earnestly to various perspectives. Smith is enthusiastic about engaging with folks from all points of view, regardless of whom they voted for in the past.

What type of representative do we deserve? One who cares deeply about people? One who is authentic, and stands up for what is beneficial to our community? One who has a proven track record of service? One who has been a life-long unifier?

We have a unique opportunity to elect a representative who honestly wants to serve ALL of us. Davina Smith will bring all of our stories to the Capitol. She will show us the true meaning of “representation.”

Marlene Israel
Kanab, Utah

ETV News| October 2, 2024

Why I am Voting for Davina Smith, and would like to see us come together as a community in District 69 to make this happen in November.

Davina Smith is hands down the most qualified candidate running to represent rural Utahns on this year’s ballot. We all saw the last run against Lyman in 2022, and I, among many of my neighbors and other locals, felt the heartbreak when he won in such a close election. But what has given me hope is seeing how Davina never gave up. She never gave up on us, she never let party or corporate interests divide the coalition or change her values. In fact, she took it as an opportunity to do more...

By Jonathan Thompson | October 1, 2024

...A REFERENDUM ON WESTERN LANDS

• If you thought nuclear weapons testing and uranium mining ended when the Cold War did, think again: A slew of long-idled mines on the Colorado Plateau are slated to reopen. And now, Project 2025, the right wing’s “playbook” for a second Trump administration, looks to return nuclear weapons testing to Nevada — perhaps creating a whole new generation of “downwinders” sickened by exposure to nuclear fallout, even as U.S. House Republicans terminate RECA, the program that compensates them. 

• All this could play an indirect role in elections in downwinder states like Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Arizona. And it’s a major issue in Utah’s House District 69, home to dozens of mines and Energy Fuels’ White Mesa Mill, the nation’s only active uranium processing center, which processes ore from the corporation’s Pinyon Plain Mine near the Grand Canyon. Davina Smith — who favors tougher environmental and public lands protections — hopes to become the first Diné woman to serve in the Utah Legislature. Her opponent, Blanding Mayor Logan Monson, supports the industry.

October 1, 2024

I hope that you will join me in voting for Davina Smith for Utah House of Representatives District 69 on November 5th. As a native of Monument Valley and a member of the Dine’ (Navajo) tribe, Davina has a distinctive understanding of what rural Utahns need most; affordable housing for local residents, excellent and accessible healthcare, quality education for our children and grandchildren comparable to that offered in urban and suburban areas of our state. With her diverse background in healthcare, education and several nonprofit endeavors, she continually strives to bring all voices to the table to develop coalitions and advocate for expanded resources for rural Utah communities. Davina will work for all of us! For more information, please go to davinaforut.com.

Marsha Tupper, Kanab

October 1, 2024

Henry Ford is credited with the quote, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” What if this year we all decided to release our political affiliation and do some research into the candidates’ character and values to see if they match our expectations of what a leader should be. We could read about their policies and if they are an incumbent, we can see what actions they have actually taken while in office. Ask yourself the question, “Does this candidate make me feel hopeful about the future or do they try to make me feel afraid of a future where the only protection is electing them?” Fear is not leadership. Maybe it’s time to choose something different.

ETV News| August 29, 2024

I am choosing to vote for Davina Smith for Utah district 69 House of Representative.

I like Davina’s approach on addressing issues in rural Utah. One of her visions that hits home for me is on housing.

Davina advocates for affordable housing by supporting the use of our tax dollars, state and federal, already allocated, to be more accessible for communities that are trying to deal with rising land prices out of reach for local workers. Housing is an issue all over Utah. Why not help strengthen the support for rural communities that have the goal of addressing affordable housing by making it easier for them to access the tools and funding to make a difference?

Davina Smith is determined to be a voice and a listener to bridge the gap between parties and work towards solutions that support the needs of the communities in District 69.

We all want to be heard. She is listening.
Check out her website davinaforut.com/vision Affordable Housing: Locals First.

Sincerely,

Tina Karlsson

Boulder, Utah 84716

September 17, 2024

Davina Smith wants to represent us in Utah House District 69.

Her driving force may be summarized as she expresses on her website: “When I was raising my four kids, I also told them to follow their passions and seek their own opportunities. I hope that one day they want to return to our native land, but I can’t ignore the fact that rural Utah is losing our best, our brightest, and most promising children.”

Davina recognizes that her children and yours need a good education, adequate housing, and job opportunities. Indeed, if our communities are to sustain a future beyond tourism and beautiful retirement and second homes, we need to work together now to achieve this. These are her top priorities.

I hope you’ll join me in voting for Davina Smith. We need an active, engaged, hardworking champion for all of rural Utah in our state legislature.

You can read more about Davina at davinaforUT.com.

Peg Smith, Boulder, District 69

Navajo Times

April 11, 2024

Davina Smith of Tsébii’ndzisgaii smiles as she listens to her constituents during a meet and greet at Aneth Chapter House on April 29, 2022.

The Tsébii’ndzisgaii native is running for the second time in Utah’s House District 69 seat, which covers nearly one-third of the Beehive State.

From butterflies to being experienced and determined the second time around, Smith has traveled great lengths to ensure she wasn’t done. Raising almost $200,000 for her campaign in 2022 broadened her horizons of what to expect this year.

Indian Country Today

February 9, 2024

Davina Smith, Navajo, said got all her jitters out the first time she ran for Utah representative in 2022. She’s even more determined for her second round of campaigning for the District 69 seat.

Her former opponent Phil Lyman announced in October 2023 that he won’t be seeking reelection and is instead running for governor. So far, two Republican candidates Lynn Jackson and Logan James Monson will be facing Smith if she advances in the Utah House of Representatives Democratic primary election on June 25.

“When I knew that I wasn’t going to win, I still felt that it wasn’t over for me,” she said.

The Times Independent

January 9, 2024

District 69’s current representative, Phil Lyman, defeated Smith for the position in 2022 but announced he will relinquish the seat this year to seek the Utah governorship. Smith said she knew from the moment of her loss in 2022 that she’d run again. She said she was struck by the community connection she saw across the district on election day and wasn’t ready to give up.

“I am competitive, and I learned so much for the duration of my campaign that I knew instantly that my journey was not done,” Smith said.

Based in Blanding, Smith grew up in Monument Valley, Utah and is Diné (Navajo).

The Insider

January 9, 2024

MONTICELLO – On January 2, 2024, Davina Smith of Blanding, Utah, officially filed to run for Utah State House of Representatives for District 69. Davina Smith’s remarkable journey is deeply rooted in her Diné (Navajo) heritage, originating from Monument Valley, Utah. She proudly identifies with the Ta’chii’ nii (Red Running into the Water) clan and Ta’ baa ha’ (Edgewater) clan.

“In 2022, my campaign marked a historic moment as I became the first Diné woman to seek election for the Utah House. This journey brought incredible support and connections with remarkable individuals. It’s with great excitement that I declare my candidacy for HD 69 in 2024…”

The Salt Lake Tribune

December 7, 2023

For generations, Davina Smith’s family has called Monument Valley and its surrounding area home. The small Diné community on the Utah-Arizona border, marked by photogenic sandstone towers, is situated in the largest geographical House district in the Beehive State — District 69.

”A lot of our elderly would always state that they wanted our young Native children to go get an education, to learn as much, gain as much experience, and come back and help our communities,” Smith said. “When the opportunity came up of if I wanted to run, I felt that was the moment.”

High Country News

Jonathan Thompson | Sept. 23, 2022

But this year is especially weird, because not only is President Joe Biden’s performance a factor, but former President Donald Trump still looms over everything.

We scoured the West to bring you a sampling of notable — and hotly contested — races and referendums.

Smith is vying to become the first Diné woman to serve in the Utah Legislature. She faces Lyman in the race to represent the state’s southeastern corner, which contains parts of three tribal nations and has long been a Sagebrush Rebellion hotspot.

San Juan Record

October 12, 2022

Hello friends and neighbors! My name is Davina Smith and I’m excited to be a candidate to serve as your voice in the Utah Legislature. I’ve had the privilege of calling San Juan County home for most of my life — I live in Blanding now but was raised in Monument Valley. I have four amazing children who love where they grew up, but they can’t find affordable housing or a stable job here. I’m running for State House of Representatives to ensure future generations can thrive in rural Utah.

Deseret News

Davina Smith | Oct 18, 2022

One evening, I was knocking voters’ doors in Emery County and I entered a young couple’s house. Children were playing and dogs were barking, but they invited me in to have a conversation on their brown leather couch.

The mounted deer heads and fox tails that covered the living room walls led to a discussion on how to hunt respectfully. We discussed how out-of-towners visit Utah to go hunting without respecting the animals or local regulations. I shared that my family grew up hunting and it’s a deep part of my Navajo culture.

Navajo Times

By Krista Allen | May 5, 2022

The late Katherine Smith, a well-known land defender from Dził Ntsaa, inspired her granddaughter Davina Smith to enter politics.

Her nálí was her muse, said Darlene Smith, Davina’s mother. Davina was only a child in the mid-summer of 1979 when a Bureau of Indian Affairs crew set out to fence Katherine’s property on Dził Ntsaa only to find themselves staring into the muzzle of her .22 caliber rifle.

“She was with her during that time,” Darlene said of Davina. “Katherine was a strong lady, and that’s where Davina got her inspiration.”

San Juan Record

By David Boyle | June 29, 2022

Smith shared with the commission her professional background which includes work as a title 7 Indian Education coordinator in a Salt Lake School District school, as well as work with universities in Utah and Arizona to establish Native Teacher Training Programs. Smith also has worked for Fourth Street Clinic, a healthcare clinic for homeless people in Salt Lake City, and Utah Dine Bikeyah.

Smith, who reports raising $90,000 in campaign funds, said she is running to unite rural voices in the district.

RadioWest on KUER

Renee Bright | May 19, 2022

Last week, the U.S. Department of Interior released an investigative report on Indigenous boarding schools in America. Of the 408 reported, eight were in Utah; three of those Utah schools are still operating.

Guest: Davina Smith (Diné), Consultant with the National Parks Conservation Association as their Organizer/Tribal Coordinator in Southeastern Utah and a resident of San Juan County.

Salt Lake Tribune

By Zak Podmore | March 16, 2022, 6:00 a.m. | Updated: 9:28 a.m.

Blanding - Blanding resident Davina Smith made Utah history late last year when she declared her candidacy for the Utah House of Representatives, making her the first Navajo (Diné) woman to run for a seat in the state legislature.

But Smith said the latest turn of events in the campaign — a residency challenge filed against her by her opponent — is nothing new for San Juan County, where Native Americans have long alleged a trend of political suppression.

Salt Lake Tribune

By Alastair Lee Bitsóí and Connor Sanders

April 18, 2022

Davina Smith, a Diné organizer and tribal coordinator with the National Parks Conservation Association, said she has been working with the Utah Division of Indian Affairs, state and tribal leaders on the need to change such names.

“To give a historical context regarding the word ‘squaw’, it derived from the Algonquin language, it may have once simply meant ‘woman,’ but over generations as early as the 1600s, the word morphed into a misogynist and racist term to humiliate Indigenous women by non-Indigenous people,” Smith said. “Since then, Indigenous women such as myself have had to endure the verbal abuse and trauma … until now.”

The Insider

March 01, 2022

MONTICELLO – Davina Smith and a small group of her closest supporters gathered on February 28th to witness and celebrate the official filing of her 2022 candidacy for Utah State House of Representatives for District #69. Davina belongs to the Ta’chii’nii (Red Running into the Water) clan and is born to the Ta’ baa ha’ (Edgewater) clan.

“As the first Diné woman who will walk up the Courthouse steps to declare she’s running for Utah State Representative, I’ll be thinking about how my actions will inspire those who will one day follow suit.”

The Times Independent

By Sophia Fisher | December 23, 2021

She will take on incumbent Lyman for District 69 seat. Davina Smith and a small group of her closest supporters gathered Monday, Feb. 28, to witness and celebrate the official filing of her 2022 candidacy for Utah State House of Representatives for District 69…

While Monday’s event made her candidacy official, her campaign and message have reached hundreds of people across rural Utah and beyond since launching last last year. Davina’s policu wision that speaks directly to the people of rural Utah is resonating, said campaign manager Molly Gurney.

The Times Independent

By Sophia Fisher | December 23, 2021

Will likely face Phil Lyman to represent Grand County’s district.

Davina Smith, a Democrat, has announced her candidacy to represent Utah House District 69, which includes Grand County, in next year’s state Legislature elections.

Navajo-Hopi Observer

Zak Padmore, Salt Lake Tribune | Originally Published: January 18, 2022

Rep. Phil Lyman has a Democratic challenger for 2022: Diné woman and land protection advocate Davina Smith

MONUMENT VALLEY, UT. — When Davina Smith mounted her horse Oreo on Thursday afternoon, the sun was shining on the iconic, burnt red buttes of Monument Valley, but the wind chill hovered near freezing.

Salt Lake Tribune

By Zak Podmore | Updated: Feb. 10, 2021, 1:20 p.m.

Before Davina Smith began her prayer run from Bears Ears National Monument to Salt Lake City, she traveled to the base of the 8,700-foot Bears Ears Buttes with medicine man Jonah Yellowman.

Smith and Yellowman, who are both from the Monument Valley area on the Navajo Nation, gathered dozens of plant species growing in the high meadows and ponderosa pine forests near Bears Ears and placed them into a medicine bundle.

KSL News

By Ashley Imlay | March 21, 2022

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's first Navajo woman to run for the Utah Legislature says an opponent's challenge to her campaign is emblematic of one of the very issues she wants to fight.

She says her frustration over the recent complaint about her residency stems from other indigenous Utahns, particularly in San Juan County, being questioned when they run for office.

"My hope, with these types of issues or barriers for indigenous people, I hope this doesn't discourage them to look for office, because we need their voices as well," said community activist Davina Smith, who is running against Rep. Phil Lyman, R-Blanding.

Indian Country Today

By Pauly Denetclaw | June 28, 2022

Smith is from Monument Valley, Utah, where her umbilical cord was buried. She comes from a long line of Diné leadership. Her paternal grandmother was the esteemed and iconic Diné leader, Katherine Smith. During the Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute, thousands of Navajo people were forcibly relocated from their ancestral lands to either nearby communities or urban areas.

In 1979, when BIA agents came to fence off Katherine Smith’s property she defended her home and land with a .22 rifle.