Dora Patzkowski

Patzkowski first ran for the Cherokee Nation's 12th tribal council district in 2015, against incumbent Dick Lay.^[1] Lay won re-election with 61% of the vote.^[2] Lay was term limited in 2019, and Patzkowski ran again, this time against Phyllis Lay, Todd Branstetter, and Don Scott.^[3] She advanced to the runoff alongside Phyllis Lay, the retiring incumbent's wife.^[4] She won the runoff with 63% of the vote.^[5] She was sworn in on August 14, 2019.^[6] She is running for re-election in the 2023 Cherokee Nation tribal council elections. She won the 2023 election with 81% of the vote against Challenger Crystal st. John. ^[7]