"With the brilliant colors of yellow, orange and red leaves on thousands of trees, autumn is a beautiful time of the year in Upper Michigan. Coupled with the shoreline of a majestic Lake Michigan, driving through Upper Michigan was a great way to spend the first Saturday in October.

I spent Saturday covering the announcement by Derek Bailey's announcement that he is running for Congress in Upper Michigan.

Bailey is the current chairman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, based in Peshawbestown, Michigan.

While Bailey is an American Indian running for Congress, he is not merely the American Indian candidate. He has already run and won the highest post in his tribe.

There is much more to Bailey's composition than his ethnicity. Bailey is an educated man with great leadership skills who just happens to be an American Indian."

Get the Story:
Levi Rickert: Why American Indians Need to be on the Ballot (Native News Network 10/5)