#NativeVote18 — Sharice Davids offers a Ready-for-Congress resume in Kansas
By Mark TrahantTrahant Reports
#IndigenousNewsWire #NativeVote18
TrahantReports.Com Another Native American woman is ready to make history. Sharice Davids is running for Congress in the 3rd district of Kansas. Davids, 37, is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation. She has a Ready-for-Congress resume. She is an attorney, a Cornell Law School alumna, a White House fellow during the Barack Obama administration, the former deputy director of Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation in Porcupine, South Dakota, and, this is something that could definitely help the Congress, she once founded a coffee company, Hoka Coffee in Pine Ridge. She began her campaign on February 15. In a tweet, Davids cited an urgency for Congress to act to stop gun violence, singling out the current member of Congress in that district, Rep. Kevin Yoder. “We need more than condolences from legislators. We need swift legislation for commonsense gun safety reform. We can’t allow lawmakers, like Rep. Yoder, who accept big money from the gun lobby to continue sacrificing our safety in exchange for campaign contributions. The Kansas City Star noted that if elected she would be the first female Native American to serve in Congress and the first openly gay member of the Kansas delegation. “Until it got pointed out to me it wasn’t necessarily part of my thinking, but the gravity of it really hit me recently,” Davids told the Star. “It’s amazing how long we’ve been in a country, but we’re still having firsts.”
Davids posted this on her web site: “I am proud to call myself a Kansan. But I have been disheartened by the way our district has been represented in Congress. We deserve a voice who represents our values and interests … As the daughter of a single mother Army veteran, I know the importance of determination and service to country. As a woman and a Native American, I know how to stand up and fight for equity. As a lawyer, economic advisor, and advocate, I know how to build consensus and get things done.” There are three Native American women running for Congress this election year. So far. In the House, Davids, and Debra Haaland in New Mexico. Eve Reyes-Aguirre is running on the Green Party ticket for the U.S. Senate in Arizona. (Worth noting: There are also three Indigenous women running for state-wide elected office, Paulette Jordan for governor in Idaho; Andria Tupola for governor in Hawaii, and Peggy Flanagan for Lt. Gov. in Minnesota. (All are Democrats except for Reyes-Aguirre and Tupola, a Republican.) #SheRepresents This is the year where women are breaking campaign records across the board. More women than ever — 400 plus — are running for Congress as a referendum on President Donald J. Trump and his policies. There have been 12,244 people elected to Congress since 1789. The first woman, Jeanette Rankin of Montana, was elected in 1916 and since then only 327 women (about a third of whom are serving now) have won a seat in the U.S. House or Senate. Davids, and most of the other Native American women running for office, are running in competitive primary races. That means they need the resources *cough* money *cough* early in order to have a chance. Davids’ primary election is in August. Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District includes Kansas City and some of its suburbs as well as much of eastern Kansas. The district “leans” Republican. Yoder won the seat last election with a margin of more than ten points, 51 percent to 40 percent for the Democrat. Mark Trahant is an independent journalist and a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. Follow him on Twitter @TrahantReports.We need more than condolences from legislators. We need swift legislation for commonsense gun safety reform. We can’t allow lawmakers, like Rep. Yoder, who accept big money from the gun lobby to continue sacrificing our safety in exchange for campaign contributions. #GunReformNow
— Sharice Davids (@sharicedavids) February 15, 2018
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