Kadin Mills
ICT
WASHINGTON — Minnesota held their state Senate and House primaries on Tuesday. There were at least eight Indigenous candidates running for public office in Minnesota, and three of them were on the ballot in the state’s primary elections, according to a database managed by ICT and Advance Native Political Leadership.
Two Indigenous candidates ran in the primaries for the Minnesota House of Representatives. Incumbent Alicia Kozlowski, Ojibwe, is running for reelection in district 8B. Kozlowski, a Democrat, ran unopposed in the primaries and will advance to the general election.
Democratic incumbent Heather Keeler, Yankton Sioux and Eastern Shoshone, also ran unopposed to maintain her seat in the state House for district 4A. Her primary election was canceled, and she will advance to the general election.
Democrat Jamie Becker-Finn, Leech Lake Ojibwe, is the state representative for district 40B. She did not run for reelection, and the primaries for the seat were canceled.
Two Indigenous candidates are running for reelection to state courts. Sarah Wheelock, Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, is running for the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and Anne McKeig, White Earth Nation, is running to remain on the Minnesota Supreme Court. Both of their primaries were canceled, and they will advance to the general election.
There were also two nonpartisan Indigenous candidates running for office in local elections in the state’s primary — Daniel Jourdain, Red Lake Nation, running for mayor of Bemidji, and Tim Sumner, Red Lake Nation, for Beltrami County Commission representing district 4. Both will advance to the general election. Jourdain served on Bemidji City Council but wasn’t reelected in 2022. Sumner has served multiple terms as county commissioner.
Two other candidates are running for local offices but were not on the ballot in the primary election. Elizabeth Jaakola, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, is an incumbent running for Cloquet City Council. Additionally, Caleb Dunlap, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, is running for a seat on the Carlton County Board of Commissioners representing district 1.
Sharon Pazi Zea, Upper Sioux Community, is an incumbent who is not running for reelection to the Granite Falls City Council, according to the city clerk.
Overall, eight Indigenous candidates from Minnesota will be on the ballot in the general election.
Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Vermont also held their primaries on Tuesday, but there were no Indigenous candidates running in those states, according to ICT’s database.
The next primaries will be held in Alaska, Florida and Wyoming on Aug. 20, during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. ICT is watching one Indigenous candidate in Wyoming, Republican incumbent Affie Ellis, Diné, who is running for reelection to the state Senate in district 8. There are also several candidates from Alaska running for reelection, including U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, Yup’ik.
Continue to visit ictnews.org for updates on these races.
The database is not complete and ICT encourages people to email political correspondent Pauly Denetclaw at pauly@ictnews.org and political reporting intern Kadin Mills at kadin@ictnews.org to add a past or current 2024 candidate to the database.
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