MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (AP) – The three people wanting to be the next leader of the Cherokee Nation took time during a candidate forum to say they'd do a better job than the incumbent.

Chief Bill John Baker did not attend Tuesday night's forum at Rose State College. He has said he deserves another four-year term.

The June 27 election features Baker, former Chief Chad Smith, state Rep. Will Fourkiller and the widower of late Chief Wilma Mankiller, Charlie Soap.

Tuesday's forum was sponsored by the Central Oklahoma Cherokee Alliance and the Rose State College American Indian Association. The event targeted “at-large” Cherokee citizens – or the 200,000 or so tribal members who don't live inside the nation's borders.

The 317,000-member Cherokee Nation is among the largest Native American tribes in the U.S.