Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry (D-Massachusetts), will speak to the National Congress of American Indians this afternoon.

NCAI had invited Kerry and President George W. Bush to speak at the conference. Neither could attend.

Heinz Kerry will instead represent her husband. NCAI President Tex Hall said last night that he expects to see a large turnout of Native women for the speech.

Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Arizona) will represent Bush. Hayworth, a long-time champion of Indian issues, is co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Native American Caucus.

NCAI runs through Friday. A complete agenda can be found at http://www.ncai.org/main/pages/national_calendar/NCAI/annual2004.

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Relevant Links:
National Congress of American Indians - http://www.ncai.org