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When members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe go to the polls on Nov. 6, they won't just be voting for candidates for U.S. House, governor and a plethora of other state positions. They'll also be choosing who they want to serve as their next president.

Julian Bear Runner, 33, and Richard Zephier, 73, both of Manderson, will face off on Election Day after gaining the most votes in the seven-candidate primary. The candidates sat down with the Journal last week during separate, in-person interviews to discuss the race and key issues facing the tribe.

Bear Runner, who attended Pine Ridge and Red Cloud high schools, stressed his knowledge and connections to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the Oglala Sioux Tribe, or OST.

"I grew up and spent probably 90 percent of my life here on the reservation. So growing up within our homelands and understanding and living firsthand the struggle and hardships that we face," he said. "My heart belongs to the people and I can relate to them on just about every level that you can imagine."

Bear Runner said he will focus on the OST's spirituality and taking care of the canunpa, or sacred pipe of the people. He said he's familiar with the nation's laws from his time working as a corrections officer, dispatcher for the ambulance service and compliance technician at the OST clinical lab.