{"id":42949,"date":"2024-11-05T09:57:40","date_gmt":"2024-11-05T14:57:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=42949"},"modified":"2024-11-05T10:02:08","modified_gmt":"2024-11-05T15:02:08","slug":"cronkite-news-native-voters-can-and-will-decide-this-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/11\/05\/cronkite-news-native-voters-can-and-will-decide-this-election\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: \u2018Native voters can and will decide this election\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Native<\/a>
Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis, right, poses for a selfie with others at a \u201cNative Americans for Harris\u201d event in Phoenix on September 28, 2024. Photo by Brianna Chappie \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption>\r\n
\u2018Native voters can and will decide this election\u2019<\/div>\r\n
Parties fight to secure Native American votes<\/div>\r\n
Tuesday, November 5, 2024<\/div>\r\n
By Brianna Chappie <\/div>\r\n
Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n
cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

PHOENIX, Arizona — Many Native Americans have long felt like politicians overlook them, but both parties are seeking Native Americans\u2019 votes more than ever before<\/a> \u2013 and they could hold the key to the outcome of the presidential election.<\/p>\r\n

The Democratic Party<\/div>\r\n

Vice President Kamala Harris has doubled down on attempts to reach Native American voters in the last several weeks before the election.<\/p>\r\n

Harris has visited Arizona at least 18 times<\/a> since the start of 2023, with the most recent one on Halloween, and has often addressed Native Americans in her speeches. On August 9, during Harris\u2019 first campaign stop in Arizona, after accepting the Democratic nomination, Harris spoke directly to Native Americans in attendance, saying she would \u201calways honor tribal sovereignty and respect tribal self-determination and fight for a future where every Native person can realize their aspirations, and every Native community is a place of opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Harris\u2019 running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz recently visited the Navajo Nation \u2013 the largest tribal nation in the country \u2013 the day after President Joe Biden visited Arizona\u2019s Gila River Indian Community to issue an apology<\/a> for the federal government\u2019s role in Native American boarding schools.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cI recognize the promises this country has made to Indigenous peoples. We will safeguard and strengthen the bonds within nations and uphold our trust and treat obligations,\u201d Walz said at the rally.<\/p>\r\n

According to Native News Online<\/a>, more than 70 tribal and Native American leaders have now endorsed Harris for president, among them Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, Nygren\u2019s Vice President Richelle Montoya, Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Verlon Jose and San Carlos Apache Tribe Chairman Terry Rambler and the San Carlos Apache Tribal Council.<\/p>\r\n

Other prominent politicians have also joined in rallying support from Indigenous communities. On September 28, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Rep. Teresa Leger Fern\u00e1ndez, D-N.M., spoke during a Harris-Walz event in Phoenix, urging Native Americans to vote for Harris.<\/p>\r\n

Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis, Tohono O’odham Nation Vice Chair Carla Johnson, and Arizona Rep. Mae Peshlakai, D-Cameron, also joined Kelly and Fern\u00e1ndez.<\/p>\r\n

Trump has faced scrutiny from the Gila River Indian Community in the past. In 2017, the tribal nation sued the Trump administration<\/a> for failure to fulfill a multiyear investment in the Lower Colorado River Basin Development Fund.<\/p>\r\n

Trump also drew ire from the Tohono O’odham Nation for his border wall. The tribal government claims the Trump administration never consulted the nation about building the wall and that the wall\u2019s construction desecrated sacred sites on tribal lands, including burial grounds.<\/p>\r\n

The Tohono O\u2019odham Nation stretches across the Arizona and Mexico border, and Border Patrol deported some Tohono O\u2019odham members for what the tribal nation says was \u201csimply traveling through their own traditional lands, practicing migratory traditions essential to their religion, economy and culture.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

\u201cThis is one of the most monumental, historic elections of our generation,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cThis election will have long-term ramifications not only for our tribes and our members but also for our state and this country.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

The Harris campaign has also hired at least 20 organizers for tribal outreach in Arizona, according to NPR<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

U.S. Rep. and Ruben Gallego is the former chair and current member of the House Subcommittee for Indian and Insular Affairs, which oversees issues related to Native American tribes and Indigenous rights. During his time in the House, Gallego introduced the Coverage for Urban Indian Health Providers Act and the Urban Indian Health Facilities Improvement Act, which would expand Federal Tort Claims Act coverage to Urban Indian Organizations<\/a>, saving these organizations money they could allocate to patient care instead of liability expenses.<\/p>\r\n

In his campaign for the U.S. Senate, Gallego has pledged to visit all 22 federally recognized tribal nations in Arizona. On Indigenous Peoples Day, Gallego made the 10-mile hike to visit one of the most remote communities in the country, Havasupai Reservation, which is accessible only by hiking, riding a mule or horse, or taking a helicopter.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cWith less than three weeks left we\u2019re hitting every corner of the state. No one left behind,\u201d Gallego wrote on X<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

Leaders at a September 28 Native Americans for Harris gathering also expressed enthusiasm for Walz\u2019s potential replacement: If Walz becomes vice president, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a member of the White Earth band of Ojibwe, is set to become governor of Minnesota \u2013 and would become the first Native American woman to serve as governor of a U.S. state.<\/p>\r\n

Flanagan lauded Harris during a media call on October 2<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cNative voters are strategically located in swing states across our nation,\u201d said Flanagan. \u201cNative voters can and will decide this election.\u201d<\/p>\r\n \"Kari<\/a>

Kari Lake takes the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference conference in Mesa, Arizona, ahead of Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance\u2019s appearance at the event on October 9, 2024. The former news anchor-turned politician ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022 and is now running for U.S. Senate. Photo by Brianna Chappie \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

The Republican Party<\/div>\r\n

Many Indigenous voters have also shown support for the Republican Party.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cI believe, in general, Native Americans \u2013 specifically the Din\u00e9 people \u2013 are conservative,\u201d said Elisa Martinez<\/a>, who has both Navajo and Zuni roots, and ran for election in 2022 for New Mexico\u2019s District 27 House of Representatives. \u201cWe have conservative values \u2013 especially for respect for family, respect for our ancestors and the sacredness of life.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake discussed those values at length during two roundtable discussions with Indigenous people in Arizona, speaking mostly about God and the importance of preserving traditional values.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cOn native land, whether they be anywhere across this country, when the moms get involved and start voting and getting politically involved, there\u2019s going to be a change in this country,\u201d Lake said during her most recent \u201cEmpowering Arizona Indigenous Voices<\/a>\u201d roundtable. \u201cAnd I think it\u2019s going to be for the better.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Lake has strong support from the Republican Party, including former President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Lake for Senate.<\/p>\r\n

Trump held a presidential rally in Prescott Valley near the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe reservation on October 13. Trump invited Lake to the stage and boasted about her performance in her debate with rival Gallego. At that same rally, Trump acknowledged some political figures in the crowd, including Tanya Lewis, who is chairwoman for the Yavapai-Apache Nation.<\/p>\r\n

Lake also made several trips to Native American nations around Arizona, including a trip to the Navajo Nation this summer, and received an endorsement<\/a> from former Navajo Vice President Myron Lizer.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen us voting Democratic for five decades, and nothing\u2019s changed in Indian country,\u201d Lizer said in a story with The Washington Post<\/a>. \u201cI want to give Republican leadership another opportunity to enhance life here.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Lizer recently applauded former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard over X for endorsing Trump. Gabbard, the first female American Samoan elected to Congress in 2010, has been a Democrat for most of her political career _ including an unsuccessful run for presidency in 2020 \u2013 announced she was joining the Republican Party at a Trump rally in North Carolina on October 22.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cI was a Democrat for over 20 years,\u201d Gabbard said at the rally. \u201cToday\u2019s Democratic Party is completely unrecognizable, which points to the clear choice we have in this election.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Gabbard accused the Biden-Harris administration and the Democratic Party of weaponizing the federal government and law enforcement to prevent Trump from running for president. \u201cWhy have they done this? Because this man has the courage to take them on and root out the deep rot of corruption in the swamp in Washington,\u201d Gabbard said.<\/p>\r\n

Like Harris, Trump has also talked about preserving sovereignty for Indigenous communities. While at a North Carolina rally in September, Trump vowed<\/a> to grant federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe if he is re-elected in November.<\/p>\r\n

Halee Dobbins, an Republican National Committee Arizona communications director, wrote in a statement that \u201cTeam Trump in Arizona has been dedicated to uplifting the Native American people and addressing the unique challenges facing their communities.\u201d Dobbins added that her team was proud to have staff and volunteers in communities to meet Native American voters where they are \u2013 including flea markets, fairs, rodeos, chapter houses and churches.<\/p>\r\n

The Arizona Republican Party opened its first office<\/a> on the Navajo Nation in Window Rock, the capital of Navajo Nation, in October.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cWe know the top concerns for many Native Americans today include the rising costs of goods and services, the safety and protection of women, and energy independence,\u201d Dobbins wrote. \u201cThe Trump campaign is committed to offering real solutions that address these concerns, from restoring our energy dominance, lowering inflation, and supporting our law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

\u201cWe are connecting with voters in meaningful ways and listening to how Kamala Harris and Arizona Democrats have made life harder for Native American families,\u201d Dobbins continued.<\/p>\r\n

For Martinez, the New Mexico Navajo and Zuni Republican, immigration is another issue she believes is being tackled more efficiently by Republicans. \u201cThe crime that\u2019s spilling out all over \u2013 be it from the drugs, drug trafficking, fentanyl use and the human trafficking \u2013 all of those things go back to the border, so that\u2019ll be addressed by the Trump administration,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\r\n

At the rally on October 13 in Prescott Valley, Trump\u2019s running mate, JD Vance, spoke about why some Native Americans who have been Democrats are now voting for Trump: \u201cThey recognize that a wide-open Southern border and unaffordable groceries and rent _ it hits our Native communities as hard as it hits anybody else, and we\u2019ve got to stop it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

\u201cYou assume that a particular tribe is going to come out one way on an issue, and then you sit down and talk to them and they actually have a totally different perspective than what you thought they would have had,\u201d Vance said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s something Donald Trump and I really believe in \u2013 talking to the American people.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Martinez also expressed hope in the economic development for Native Americans under Trump. \u201cWe want to see further development of opportunity zones, and streamlining the access to capital for our Native and Indigenous business owners is so hugely important that we have to start looking at ways to break the cycle of poverty on reservations,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been through this generational cycle of expecting a handout from the government,\u201d Martinez continued. \u201cAnd I believe in a hand-up, and that\u2019s what opportunity zones present and represent.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Martinez is from Gallup, New Mexico, often called the Heart of Indian Country because it sits on Navajo, Hopi and Zuni land and a significant portion of the city\u2019s population is Native American.<\/p>\r\n

Gallup, like many other cities on tribal land, has high poverty rates<\/a>. Many households on Native American nations don’t have access to running water, and 13, 000 homes on the Navajo Nation alone don\u2019t have access to electricity, according to KJZZ<\/a>, an NPR station in Phoenix.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a real juxtaposition there,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cHow we\u2019re being treated, how many of our people still live in poverty and don\u2019t have access to running water \u2013 yet the Biden-Harris administration is rolling out the carpet for noncitizens.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Native Americans in U.S. politics<\/div>\r\n

Voters will also determine the representatives of Arizona\u2019s nine congressional districts in the election.<\/p>\r\n

Former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez could become the state\u2019s first Native American in Congress. The Democratic candidate is running for Arizona\u2019s 2nd Congressional District, which spans over 62,000 square miles and is the largest district by land in Arizona, engulfing most of the northeastern part of the state.<\/p>\r\n

According to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission<\/a>, which is in charge of drawing congressional and state legislative district lines, over 18%<\/a> of District 2\u2019s population is Native American. District 2 covers a significant portion of the Navajo Nation and is home to the Hopi Tribe, White Mountain Apache Tribe, Hualapai Tribe and eight other tribal nations.<\/p>\r\n

Indigenous presence in the White House is slowly growing. Five members of Congress are Native American: Tom Cole (R-OK) who is Chickasaw; Sharice Davids (D-KS) who is Ho-Chunk; Mary Peltola (D-AK) who is Yup’ik, and Josh Breecheen (R-OK) who is Choctaw. Peltola and Breecheen are up for re-election this November.<\/p>\r\n

Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) from the Cherokee Nation is currently the sole Native American in the Senate.<\/p>\r\n

While Native Americans still only represent a dismal percentage of elected officials at the national level, their representation is also gradually increasing<\/a>. If Nez wins, it would mark a historic milestone for Arizona and highlight the growing influence of Native American voices in U.S. politics, especially in areas with large Indigenous populations. This election underscores a broader trend of increasing political engagement and representation for Indigenous communities across the country.<\/p>\r\n

In 2020, Joe Biden narrowly won Arizona by 10,457 votes<\/a>, just 0.3% percent of all ballots cast in the state. Native Americans make up roughly 5% of Arizona\u2019s population and could easily ensure the victory of the party that wins their votes.<\/p>\r\n

In the last election, Native American voters significantly influenced<\/a> the outcome. This year, their voices could again be decisive, with a growing focus on issues impacting Indigenous communities and increased representation.<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nFor more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A>.<\/STRONG>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News<\/a>. It is published via a Creative Commons license<\/A>. Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication<\/A> at Arizona State University<\/A>.<\/EM>
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