Historic Firsts for Native Americans in U.S. Politics.

Tuesday’s mid-term elections ushered in historic firsts for Native Americans in U.S. politics.  

Deborah Haaland won the race for Governor in New Mexico, making her the nation’s first Native American governor.  Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo, previously served as Secretary of the Interior during the Biden administration and as a congresswoman representing New Mexico. She was the first Native cabinet secretary and one of the first two Native woman (along with Sharice Davids of the Ho-Chunk Nation, Kansas) elected to congress.

Peggy Flanagan’s victory in Minnesota makes her the nation’s first Native American elected to the Senate. She previously served as Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota under Governor Tim Walz and served in the House of Representatives from 2015-2019. Flanagan is a citizen of the White Earth Nation and is of Ojibwe descent. She is also the first woman of color elected to statewide office in Minnesota.

In Alaska, Mary Peltola is in contention for the Senate race, which has yet to be decided. Ms. Petolta became the first Alaska Native to serve in the House in 2022.

We celebrate the historic win of Kim Harless, House Representative for District 49 Position 2 in Washington State. Harless is Indigenous Opata and Mexican American.

Here at NAYA we are delighted to celebrate the re-election of Tawna Sanchez, who remains the Representative of House District 43 in Oregon. Sanchez, of Shoshone-Bannock/Ute/Carrizo heritage, also serves as NAYA’s Director of Family Services.  

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