TULSA, Okla. – Former Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Ross Swimmer is testing the waters for a possible run for the 1st District congressional seat in Oklahoma.
Swimmer, the former principal chief of the Cherokee Nation is looking at running for the seat now occupied by Rep. Steve Largent, R-Okla., who is expected to be a gubernatorial candidate. Largent has announced he will not seek re-election to the House.
Swimmer headed the Cherokee Nation from 1975 to1985, then served the Reagan administration as the assistant secretary for Indian Affairs. Since leaving the BIA, Swimmer has been an attorney in a private practice in Tulsa.
If Swimmer decides to run for the House and wins, he will be the second member of the Cherokee Nation to represent Oklahoma, joining Democrat Brad Carson who was elected last November.
Swimmer said he sees running for a House seat as a natural progression. “I have enjoyed a lifetime of public service, mixed in with a little private sector experience. I enjoy it and it’s really a matter of timing and what I think I can do for the 1st District if I can get into it.”
Largent has traditionally been a Republican seat, Swimmer said. “I just feel a lot of things can be done in the 1st District to move Oklahoma forward. I would also expect to work with the three tribes that are there – the Osage, Cherokee, Creek – and hopefully continue to do some of the things I did back in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as far as the tribes are concerned.”
The 1st District includes the Tulsa area where Swimmer wants to see a more diverse economic base that will provide not only new jobs, but also more opportunities for new businesses to come into the area. “I just think it is a tremendous opportunity to do something not only for Tulsa, but for the state of Oklahoma.”
Several Republicans also are considering the race, including the wife of current Gov. Frank Keating. Cathy Keating is one of the candidates Swimmer considers serious competition.
Swimmer said he might not be able to get the support Carson did in the upcoming primary because many Cherokees are Democrats and will be unable to vote in the Republican primary. “If I get into this race and get that far, there are a lot of Cherokee Republicans,” Swimmer explained. “Because they still remember Andrew Jackson, not all of them have gone over to the Democratic Party.”
Carson publicly attributed his victory to the push by the Cherokee Nation to get voters to the polls.
If elected, Swimmer said he sees not only opportunities for Oklahomans, but for American Indian people throughout the nation as they get more representation and more of a voice in the legislative branch of the government.
Part of the feasibility study by Swimmer in preparation for a possible campaign looks at fund raising. If he decides to run, Swimmer faces a short amount of time to raise a large amount of money. He will have to make a firm decision by the end of April since it is expected there may be a special election before the end of this year.
“It is going to be an extremely difficult and expensive campaign,” Swimmer said. “The First Lady has almost come to the conclusion she is going to run for the 1st District as well. Cathy Keating has unlimited access to money and she’s got tremendous name recognition which is out there. To overcome those kinds of obstacles, we have to look seriously at whether it’s even possible.”
Cherokee Principal Chief Chad Smith believes Swimmer would be an asset not only to Oklahomans, but also to Indian country in general. “I think that Ross would provide great advocacy for his district. Just like Will Rogers was good for Oklahoma, Ross Swimmer would be good for Oklahoma. Cherokee public servants are good for both Oklahoma and the Cherokee Nation.”
Swimmer said he was grateful for Smith’s confidence in him and that he is hopeful he can continue his lifetime of public service and extend it to include legislation to benefit American Indian people throughout the nation as well as his future constituents in Oklahoma’s 1st District.