For help on Election Day, contact the Native American Rights Fund’s helpline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) for election protection volunteers who can assist voters in Indian Country. The organization can also be reached at vote.narf.org.
ICT Staff
ICT
Update 3:30 PM ET: Yvette Herell, Cherokee, loses her race for the U.S. House of Representatives District 2 seat in New Mexico. Sharon Clahchischilliage, Diné, lost her race for the New Mexico District 3 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Update 11:24 ET: Sharice Davids won reelection to the U.S. House seat representing Kansas, according to AP.
Update 10:30 PM ET: Dennis Baker loses Congressional race in Oklahoma, according to AP.
Update 9:52 PM ET: Madison Horn loses Congressional race in Oklahoma, according to AP. Oklahoma incumbents Tom Cole and Josh Brecheen win their Congressional races, according to AP.
Election Day 2024 will see 178 Native candidates on ballots in 24 states across the country. The 2024 election season started with 250 Indigenous candidates before those candidates were whittled down heading into the general election.
Tuesday’s historic election could see Vice President Kamala Harris officially become the first woman and the first South Asian person to become president. But first she must overcome former president Donald Trump, and many polls showed a tight race between the two presidential candidates, including in several key battleground states.
Compared to the midterm elections in 2022, there has been a 44 percent increase in Native candidates, according to Advance Native Political Leadership. The 178 Native candidates up for election Tuesday include 95 Democrats, 21 Republicans, three independents and 59 nonpartisans, as well as 104 women, 71 men, and three nonbinary or Two-Spirit people.
Across the country this election season, Native and non-Native candidates have courted Native voters, who could be the deciding factor in seven states – Arizona, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
“The power of the Native vote has been recognized, because our vote made the difference in so many states, and holds the balance of the outcome in the 2024 elections,” said Judith LeBlanc, executive director of Native Organizers Alliance and the Action Fund.
Nine Indigenous candidates are running for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, including four incumbents — Sharice Davids, Ho-Chunk of Kansas, Mary Peltola, Yup’ik of Alaska, and Josh Brecheen (Choctaw) and Tom Cole (Chickasaw) of Oklahoma.
Former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez is running in a tight race to be the first Native American person to represent Arizona in Congress. Dennis Baker, Muscogee, is seeking the District 1 seat in Oklahoma. Sharon Clahchischilliage, Navajo, is seeking the District 3 seat in New Mexico. Yvette Herrell, Cherokee, is seeking the District 2 seat in New Mexico. Madison Horn, Cherokee, is seeking the District 5 seat in Oklahoma.
Those running for the country’s highest office have actively sought support from Native people.
Although Harris’ record of Indigenous issues has been mixed, she has made strides recently for Indigenous voters. She chose Walz as her running mate, who has a strong record working with tribal nations with the help of Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, White Earth Nation. Harris also recently launched the Native American Engagement program and helped relaunch the Tribal Nations Summit at the White House after the Trump administration halted the event during his term.
Trump also has made his case for the Native vote.
In September, the former president promised to federally recognize the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. In 2019, the Trump administration issued an executive order to establish a task force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Harris and Trump have focused much of their recent efforts to gain Native votes in the battleground state of Arizona, where the Native vote helped Biden win the state in 2020.
On Oct. 25, President Joe Biden traveled to Arizona’s Gila River Indian Community to issue an apology to Native Americans for the country’s boarding school history, a move that some considered to be motivated by the need for Native support in the battleground state. A day later, Harris’ running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, visited Window Rock, Arizona – the capital of the Navajo Nation.
Harris held a rally in Arizona again on Halloween. It was her second trip to the state in October. She also held a rally in August.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, Cherokee, also traveled to Arizona, as well as Nevada and North Carolina, to ask Native voters to cast their ballots for Trump.
The Native vote in North Carolina could be the key to winning that state in the presidential election. With such narrow margins in elections, just a few thousand votes could make the difference.
On Oct. 23, Harris called the chairman of the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina to talk about their federal recognition efforts. In 2020, she pledged her support for those efforts. The tribe makes up the majority of Robeson County; nearly half the population is Native American. There are 55,000 Lumbee citizens, making it the largest Indigenous nation east of the Mississippi.
Donald Trump Jr. and Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Cherokee, met with Lumbee leaders as well. Former president Trump also gave his support for the tribe’s federal recognition in 2020.
Beyond the race for the White House, Native voters could help decide key Senate races in Montana, Arizona and Michigan.
In March, Montana Sen. Jon Tester’s campaign spent $1 million to reach Native voters in the state and get them registered to vote. He’s in one of the toughest and tightest races this election. His seat is critical to maintaining Democratic control of the U.S. Senate.
The race moved into the national spotlight after it was confirmed that Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy made racist and disparaging remarks about the Crow Nation in 2023. Native voters represent a huge untapped voting bloc in the state. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, American Indian and Alaska Native alone and in combination make up 9.3 percent of the state’s population.
In Arizona, U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego is favored to win his Senate race, and he has made the Native vote a priority for his campaign. If elected, he would become his state’s first Latino senator. He intentionally made his first campaign stop on sovereign lands in January 2023. VoteVets released campaign ads for Gallego that feature Diné Bizaad, the Navajo language.
Gallego faces Republican challenger Kari Lake, a former Fox 10 newscaster, who has closed ground in the final weeks of the race and could become the first Republican woman elected to the Senate from Arizona.
Native voters also could help decide the Michigan Senate race between Democrat Elissa Slotkin and Republican Mike Rogers.
Alaska
U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, Yup’ik and a Democrat, trailed with 46 percent of the vote against her Republican opponent Nick Begich, who had 49 percent of the vote as of 3:15 AM ET on Nov. 6, according to the New York Times. In 2022, Peltola became the first Alaska Native member of Congress.
Arizona
In Arizona’s second Congressional district, former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, Navajo and a Democrat, trailed Republican incumbent Eli Crane by nearly 12 percentage points as of 3 AM ET with 46 percent of the vote counted, according to the New York Times. If elected, Nez would become Arizona’s first Native American congressman.
Roberta “Birdie” Wilcox Cano, Diné, is seeking a third term as mayor in Winslow. In 2020, she made history, becoming the first-ever Native American mayor of the city. Winslow has a majority Indigenous population.
Won: Renee Tsosie, Diné, took 21.62 percent of the vote to be elected as the three board members for Page Unified School District 8.
Won: Desiree Fowler, Diné, took 24.45 percent of the vote to be elected as the three board members for Page Unified School District 8.
Won: Ronald B. Begay, Diné, was one of the three candidates for a four-year term for Tuba City Unified School District 15.
Won: Marie B. Acothley, Navajo, was one of the three candidates for a four-year term for Tuba City Unified School District 15.
Won: Linda Honahni, Hopi, was uncontested for a two-year term for Tuba City Unified School District 15.
California
Won: Jackie Fielder, MHA Nation, won against six candidates with 40 percent of the vote for San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 9.
Won: Todd Gloria, Tlingit, won with 56 percent of the vote against Larry Turner for mayor of San Diego. In 2020, Gloria became the city’s first mayor of color and its first openly gay mayor.
Won: Mary Ann Carbone, Chumash, ran unopposed as mayor of Sand City. She made history in 2017 when she was unanimously appointed as mayor and became Sand City’s first-ever female mayor and first-ever mayor with Indigenous heritage.
Iowa
Lost: Jessica Lopez-Walker, Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, Iowa House District 2, Democrat, was defeated by Robert Henderson, Republican, who drew 61 percent of the vote.
Lost: Anna Banowsky, Choctaw, Iowa House of Representatives District 92, Democrat, was defeated by Republican Heather Hora, who drew 57 percent of the vote.
Kansas
Won: Sharice Davids, Ho-Chunk, Democrat, took 53 percent of the vote to defeat Prasnath Reddy and Steve Roberts for the District 3 U.S. House of Representatives seat in Kansas.
New Mexico
Won: Angel Charley, Laguna Pueblo and Diné, won the New Mexico District 24 State Senate. Charley ran uncontested.
Won: Patricia Roybal Caballero, Piro/Manso/Tiwa Indian tribe and Pueblo of San Juan de Guadalupe, won her race for the New Mexico House District 13. Roybal Caballero, Democrat, ran uncontested.
Won: Doreen Wonda Johnson, Diné, won her race for New Mexico House District 5. Johnson, Democrat, ran uncontested.
Won: Derrick Lente, Sandia Pueblo, won his race for New Mexico House District 65. Lente, Democrat, ran uncontested.
Won: Michelle Abeyta, Diné, won her race for New Mexico House District 69. Abeyta, Democrat, ran uncontested.
Won: Benny Shendo, Diné, won his race for New Mexico State Senate District 22. Shendo, Demcorat, ran unopposed.
Won: Shannon Pinto, Diné, won her race for New Mexico State Senate District 3. Pinto, Democrat, ran uncontested.
Lost: Yvette Herell, Cherokee, U.S. House of Representatives District 2, Republican, was defeated by her Democratic opponent, Gabriel Vasquez, who won 52 percent of the vote.
Lost: Sharon Clahchischilliage, Diné, lost her race for the New Mexico District 3 seat in the United States House of Representatives. Clahchischilliage, Republican, was defeated by Democrat Teresa Lever Fernandez, who won 56 percent of the vote.
North Carolina
Won: Jarrod Lowery, Lumbee, kept his seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives District 047. Lowery, Republican, was first elected in 2022. He beat Eshonda Hooper, Democrat, with 66 percentage points.
Lost: Tona Jacobs, Lumbee, lost the race for Hoke County Board of Education. Jacobs, a Nonpartisan, has over 30 years of experience as an educator.
Won: John Earl Cummings Jr., Lumbee, won his race for Robeson County Board of Commissioners District 3. Cummings was unopposed.
Won: Judy Oxendine Sampson, Lumbee, won her race for Robeson County Board of Commissioners District 5. Oxendine Sampson, a Democrat, ran unopposed.
Won: Elaine Lowery Brayboy, Lumbee, won the race for Hoke County Register of Deeds. Brayboy, Democrat, won by 85.95 percentage points.
North Dakota
Won: Jayme Davis, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, won the race for North Dakota House District 9. Davis and Collette Brown, both Democrats, won by 32 and 24 percentage points, respectively, beating Robert Graywater and David Brien.
Won: Richard Marcellais, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, won his race for North Dakota State Senate District 9. Marcellais defeated Judy Etenson.
Lost: David “Doc” Brien, Republican, lost his race for North Dakota House District 9 to Jayme Davis and Collette Brown.
Lost: Robert Graywater, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, lost the race for North Dakota State Senate District 9. Greywater, a Republican, lost to Jayme Davis and Collette Brown.
Won: Lisa Finley-DeVille, MHA Nation, won the race for North Dakota District 4A State Representative. Finley-DeVille, a Democrat, won with 63 percent of the vote, beating fellow MHA citizen Ronald Brugh.
Lost: Ronald Brugh, MHA Nation, lost the race for North Dakota District 4A State Representative. Brugh, Republican, lost to a fellow MHA citizen, Lisa Finley-DeVille.
Won: Collette Brown, Spirit Lake Nation, won the race for North Dakota House District 9 alongside Jayme Davis 24.43 and 32.17 percentage points respectively.
Lost: Tracie Wilkie, Turtle Mountain Chippewa and Metis, lost the race for North Dakota Public Service Commissioner. Wilkie, Democrat, lost to Republican Randy Christmann with 29 percent of the vote.
Oklahoma
Lost: Christopher Wier, Cherokee, Oklahoma House of Representatives District 4, Democrat, was defeated by Republican Bob Ed Culver, who drew 68 percent of the vote.
Lost: Kerri Keck, Cherokee, Oklahoma House of Representatives District 26, Democrat, was defeated by Republican Dell Kerbs, who drew 62 percent of the vote.
Lost: Madison Horn, Cherokee, U.S. House of Representatives District 5, Democrat, was defeated by Republican Dennis Bice, who drew 60 percent of the vote.
Won: Josh Brecheen, Choctaw, U.S. House of Representatives District 2, Republican, took nearly 74 percent of the vote to defeat Democrat Brandon Wade and Independent Ronnie Hopkins.
Won: Tom Cole, Chickasaw, U.S. House of Representatives District 4, Republican, took nearly 65 percent of the vote to defeat Democrat Mary Brannon and Independent James Stacy.
Lost: Dennis Baker, Muscogee, U.S. House of Representatives District 1, Democrat, was defeated by Republican Kevin Hern, who drew 60 percent of the vote.
Won: Scott Fetgatter, Choctaw, Oklahoma House of Representatives District 16, Republican, took nearly 71 percent of the vote to defeat Democrat Rosie Lynch.
Won: Ken Luttrell, Cherokee, Oklahoma House of Representatives District 37, Republican, took nearly 79 percent of the vote to defeat Independent Carter Rogers.
Won: John Pfeiffer, Cherokee, Oklahoma House of Representatives District 38, Republican, took nearly 85 percent of the vote to defeat Democrat Doyle Lewis.
Won: Hurchel “Trey” Caldwell, Cherokee, Oklahoma House of Representatives District 63, Republican, took nearly 81 percent of the vote to defeat Democrat Shykira Smith.
Won: Mark Vancuren, Cherokee, Oklahoma House of Representatives District 74, Republican, took nearly 76 percent of the vote to defeat Independent Aaron Brent.
Won: David Hardin, Cherokee, Oklahoma House of Representatives District 86, Republican, took nearly 77 percent of the vote to defeat Democrat Anne Fite.
Won: Sarah Gray, Cherokee, Tulsa County Board of Commissioners District 2, Democrat, took just over 50 percent of the vote to defeat Republican Lonnie Sims.
South Carolina
Won: Fawn Pedalino, Natchez-Kusso Tribe, South Carolina House of Representatives District 64, Republican, took 56 percent of the vote to defeat Democrat Quadri Bell.
Tennessee
Win: Bryan Terry, Choctaw, Tennessee House of Representatives District 48, Republican, took nearly 65 percent of the vote to defeat Democrat Matt Ferry.
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