National | Politics

Denise Juneau raises more than $263K in bid for U.S. House seat

Monday, January 11, 2016

Denise Juneau with her cousin Forrest Goodluck, who stars in The Revenant, the award-winning film featuring Leonardo DiCaprio. Photo from Facebook

Denise Juneau, a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, has raised $263,803 for her U.S. House bid.

Juneau raised the money in the first eight weeks of her campaign. Her campaign said the funds came from 1,029 individual donors, 85 percent of whom are from Montana.

"My campaign is focused on doing what’s best for Montana first and foremost, with a commitment to helping create new opportunities for working families here at home," Juneau said in a press release. "The enormous support we have already received from all across our state is proof that Montanans are ready for that change, and 2016 is the year it’s going to happen.”

Juneau, who grew up on the Blackfeet Nation, is currently serving her second term as the Superintendent of Public Instruction. She is the first Native woman to hold statewide office in Montana and hopes to be the first Native woman in Congress if she wins election this November.

Montana's sole Congressional seat is held by Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Montana). He has introduced a number of pro-tribal bills since joining the House in 2015 and has advocated for tax parity and economic development in Indian Country.

Zinke is running for re-election. He hasn't released his latest fundraising totals but he took in more than $2 million from January through the end of September, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Zinke disbursed $1.4 million of that amount, according to the FEC, so he still had more funds on hand than Juneau when she announced her campaign in November.