Lahoma Schultz, former Muscogee National Council Rep. Lucian Tiger III and Ashley Wolfvoice are challenging incumbent Rep. Leonard Gouge to represent seat “B” of the Tvlse District, the most urban district in the Muscogee Nation Reservation. Gouge grabbed the position from Tiger in the 2021 election cycle that saw four incumbent council members lose, but Tiger appears eager to claw the seat back this year.
This election cycle, discourse has been dominated by the Muscogee Nation Supreme Court’s recent ruling that the descendants of Muscogee Freedmen, people of African descent owned as slaves by members of the Muscogee Nation prior to the American Civil War, are entitled to tribal citizenship under the nation’s 1866 treaty with the U.S.
The Muscogee Nation holds elections every two years for its National Council, which has eight districts, each with an “A” seat and a “B” seat. The Tvlse District, which uses the Muscogee spelling for Oklahoma’s second-largest city, includes the parts of Tulsa, Sand Springs, Berryhill, Lotsee, Jenks, Bixby, Glenpool and western parts of Broken Arrow. While council candidates are required to live in their district, every Muscogee citizen may vote in every council election — for now. This year’s Sept. 20 ballot contains a question that would reinstitute district-based voting if passed.
Early voting will be held Sept. 17 and 18 throughout the reservation, and the election is set to be held Saturday, Sept. 20. The descendants of Muscogee Freedmen will not be enrolled prior to the election.
The following cheat sheet is based on official candidate biographies, campaign websites, social media pages, interviews by Mvskoke Media and other publicly available information. The candidates are listed in alphabetical order.
If no candidate in the Tvlse District “B” seat receives a majority of the vote Sept. 20, a runoff election would be held Nov. 8.
Leonard Gouge (incumbent)
Hometown: Tulsa
Profession/background: Leonard Gouge said in a Mvskoke Media interview he grew up in Oklahoma City and served in the U.S. Army for 28 years. Before his election, he served as chairman of the Koweta Indian Community and the Tulsa Creek Indian Community organizations. He also previously served on the Muscogee Nation Citizenship Board and was appointed to the tribe’s Indian Child Welfare Commission by Principal Chief David Hill. He was elected to the council in 2021 after defeating Lucian Tiger III. Gouge also previously worked in the Indian child welfare departments for the Seminole and Cherokee nations.
Platform: Gouge advocates for the creation of a national cemetery for citizens and Muscogee veterans, as well as for increasing services that the nation provides to veterans with PTSD.
Asked during a Mvskoke Media interview if he would support legislation to admit Creek Freedmen as citizens in line with Hill’s recent executive order, Gouge indicated he would.
“The Supreme Court made a decision. It’s up to the attorneys to determine the legalese to decide how it has to be done,” Gouge said. “But if it’s completed and done and we are through with it, (then) let’s move forward.”
Underscoring candidates’ desires to appeal to voters on both sides of the issue, Gouge also said he would support funding a suit in federal court to continue litigation to prevent Freedmen citizenship.
“Well, yes, because it’s another effort to be made, I think,” Gouge said. “We need to exhaust all efforts, and if the result is still the same, that’s something we have to live with. But if there is a change, then let’s go with that. I mean, we have to funnel all this down to a final decision here.”
Asked if he would sign a recall petition circulating to impeach the justices of the Muscogee Supreme Court for “treason,” Gouge said he believed he should not, since the National Council plays a role in impeachment proceedings triggered by any successful recall petition.
“The council has a role in this if they get the names together, and it’s probably best for me not to sign,” Gouge said. “Because I may play a part in this role, and I want to be neutral ’til that time, because I don’t want to tarnish my responsibilities if I sign.”
He also supports raising the nation’s school clothing donation allocation and expanding the nation’s college to offer four-year programs. Asked about changing the age to qualify for elder services, Gouge said there had been discussions of raising it the age from 55 to 63, but he wanted to ensure any proposal did not remove anyone from accessing services.
Links: Facebook | Mvskoke Media
Lahoma Schultz
Hometown: Bixby
Profession/background: According to an interview with Mvskoke Media, Lahoma Schultz was born in Dewar but grew up in Oklahoma City. She is a graduate of Bacone College and Northeastern State University, and she holds a doctorate from Oklahoma State University. She later worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs Branch of Real Property and Leasing in Oklahoma County. After her first child was born, she switched to doing social work for the state of Oklahoma. She lived across eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas before moving to Bixby.
Her campaign website features a possibly AI-generated upbeat pop campaign song which describes her as having “four degrees and a heart of gold.” To the possible concern of cardiologists, the song encourages, “Tvlse District, let’s raise our pulse.”
Platform: Schultz advocates providing in-home and community-based care for Muscogee Nation elders, as well as grants for elders to make their homes more accessible. She also advocates increasing cooperation with municipal governments within the Muscogee Reservation. She is endorsed by Danna Fowble, the executive director of the Oklahoma Psychological Association, and by former Osage Nation Congress Speaker Archie Mason.
Asked by Mvskoke Media about her stance on Muscogee Freedmen citizenship, Schultz criticized the Supreme Court decision and implied the Muscogee Constitution had been approved by the U.S. Congress, although it was not. The U.S. Senate confirmed the secretary of the interior, who did approve the constitution.
“I was surprised that our Supreme Court did not take the time to do some more research and come back with a different decision,” Schultz said. “Because this constitution that we operate by was approved by the secretary of interior at that time on behalf of the president of the United States, in consultation and with approval of the Congress.”
She went on to say tribal courts are subordinate to federal courts — a claim contrary to principles of tribal sovereignty — and suggested a federal suit to prevent Freedmen citizenship.
“One thing I do know is that a lower court — including our tribal courts — cannot override federal,” Schultz said. “So I assume, or I imagine, that this case — because they’ve already exhausted their (tribal) appeals system — that they may have to go to federal court on this.”
Federal courts have limited power to review tribal court decisions and typically give great deference to tribal courts. Since the Muscogee Supreme Court is the highest authority on Muscogee law, it would be extremely unusual for a federal judge who is not a Muscogee citizen and unfamiliar with Muscogee law to overturn that court’s interpretation of tribal law.
Schultz also supports raising the nation’s school clothing donation allocation and keeping the tribal elder eligibility age set to 55.
Links: Mvskoke Media | Facebook | Website
Lucian Tiger III
Hometown: Jenks
Profession/background: According to a 2013 interview he conducted with Muscogee Nation News, Lucian Tiger III was raised within the Muscogee Nation and graduated from Kellyville High School before attending Connors State College and Oklahoma State University. He works as a real estate agent and previously served on the council from 2013 to 2021. He was the speaker of the Muscogee National Council from 2016 to 2017 and ran in the 2019 Muscogee principal chief election, but he placed third in the election and disputed the results.
While on the council, Tiger was accused of a housing violation related to use of the Muscogee Nation’s mortgage assistance program, and he was accused of sexual harassment by Rep. Dode Barnett. Tiger lost his reelection campaign to Gouge in 2021, after declining media interviews throughout the cycle. Tiger did not participate in a Mvskoke Media interview for the 2025 election before the publication of this article.
Platform: In a 30-second clip of him speaking posted to Facebook, Tiger touted his support for per-capita payments to members of the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic and advocated for increased spending on services. He also said he supports the nation’s plan to appeal the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s Stroble v. Oklahoma Tax Commission decision and the Sept. 20 ballot question to return to district voting.
At the Wetumka Indian Community candidate forum, Tiger said he did not support the Muscogee Nation Supreme Court’s Freedmen decision, which also found that “by-blood” language defining citizenship throughout the constitution is void.
“I do not feel that we can allow our tribally-funded programs to suffer from what just happened by our Supreme Court,” Tiger said. “I don’t agree with that decision. I don’t think it was correct. I don’t know how those individuals thought they could amend our constitution without a vote of the people.”
Tiger also advocated passing legislation “to protect by-blood citizens” of the nation.
“You have to implement laws in place to protect our by-blood citizens,” Tiger said. “There is going to be a lot of more court cases, in my opinion, because there is still a lot of unanswered questions (caused) by that ruling.”
Links: Tiger does not appear to have a campaign website or social media.
Ashley Wolfvoice
Hometown: Broken Arrow
Profession/background: Ashley Wolfvoice grew up in Broken Arrow, where she graduated high school, according to an interview with Mvskoke Media. She started working at smoke shops while in high school as a freight handler and worked as a clerk after graduation. In 2000, she opened her own tribally-licensed smoke shop in Broken Arrow, and she currently owns the Main Street Smoke Shop and County Line Smoke Shop.
Platform: Wolfvoice’s platform includes advocating for food sovereignty, or providing government support for tribal agriculture and food distribution.
“My platform is food sovereignty,” Wolfvoice said. “I would like everyone to have fresh foods.”
Asked her opinion on the Muscogee Nation Supreme Court’s recent decision on Freedmen citizenship, Wolfvoice said during her Mvskoke Media interview that she did not want appeal the Muscogee Supreme Court’s decision to federal court. She also said she would sign a recall petition circulating against the justices who decided the case.
“OK, I do know that it is important to follow our Muscogee Constitution, and I do want to (go) step by step — take it slowly,” Wolfvoice said. “I don’t want to go to federal court.”
She also supports the nation running its own funeral homes, increasing the school clothing allocation, and said she would not want to raise the required age for elder services.
Links: Facebook | Instagram | Mvskoke Media
(Update: This article was updated at 6:05 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16, to adjust reference to a statement made by candidate Lahoma Schultz.)
