More Native Americans Were Elected To Congress Tuesday Than Ever Before
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
KEY FACTS
Indian Country Today reported six Native American House candidates won their respective races, meaning the 117th Congress will have more Native Americans than any previous Congress.
The first two Native American women to be elected to Congress in 2018, U.S. Rep. Debra Haaland (D-N.M.) and Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kans.), defended their seats, according to the report.
Also winning reelection were Native American incumbents Rep. Tom Cole and Rep. Markwayne Mullin, both Republican representatives in Oklahoma.
Native American newcomers to the House include New Mexico Republican Yvette Herrell and Kaiali'i Kahele, a Democrat elected in Hawaii who, according to Indian Country Today , is only the second Native Hawaiian lawmaker to represent the state in Congress since Hawaii became a state in 1959.
According to the report, the candidates are split equally in terms of their political party affiliation and gender: three are Democrats, three Republicans, three men and three women.
KEY BACKGROUND
The 117th Congress marked many “firsts” for diverse representation. Herrell and Haaland’s elections helped New Mexico become the first state to vote for congressional representatives exclusively made up of women of color . When Delaware elected Sarah McBride for state senator, she became the first openly transgender person to win the position in any state. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat who won a seat in the House, is slated to become the country’s first Black and openly gay congressman.
FURTHER READING
US House candidates make history ( Indian Country Today )
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I can remember years and years ago when the only Native American in Congress was Ben Nighthorse Campbell (born April 13, 1933). He was an American Cheyenne politician who served as a U.S. Representative from 1987 to 1993, and a U.S. Senator from Colorado from 1993 to 2005. He serves as one of forty-four members of the Council of Chiefs of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Tribe . During his time in office, he was the only Native American serving in the U.S. Congress.
Originally a member of the Democratic Party , Campbell switched to the Republican Party on March 3, 1995. Reelected to the U.S. Senate in 1998 , Campbell announced in March 2004 that he would not run for reelection to a third term in November of that year. His Senate seat was then won by Democrat Ken Salazar in the November 2004 election . He later expressed interest in running for Governor of Colorado in 2006; however, on January 4, 2006, he announced that he would not enter the race. He later became a lobbyist for the law and lobbying firm Holland & Knight and afterward co-founded his own lobbying firm, Ben Nighthorse Consultants.
Then, Tom Cole, Travis Childers, both Chickasaw and Markwayne Mullen, Cherokee, served as members of the House of Representatives. Childers only served one term. In 2019, two wonderful leaders, Deb Haaland and Charise Davids were elected.
Looks like things might actually be looking up for the Native American community.
That should give people hope that balance and fairness can be achieved.
Total agreement SP. During my 30+ years of working with Tribes/Nations and their leadership, I've met and worked with some awesome Native American leaders. If anyone will actually pay attention to the concerns and issues facing, not only Native Americans, but the U.S. population/citizenship in general, additions such as this need to take place more often.
Thanks for your comment.
This is wonderful!!!!
Good news.