United States
Politics:
“A Strong Native American Voter Turn-out in
North Dakota Could Affect United States Senate Majority”
By Theron “Scarlet Raven”
Thompson
The United States Senate race in North Dakota has become one of
the most contested races in the country.
This race could come down to a matter of hundreds of votes in a few
remote reservation counties to decide this important race. It has become a potential “hold” for the
Democrats, when only a few months ago it was considered an easy pick-up for the
Republicans by having first term, multi-millionaire member of Congress, Rick
Berg, make the jump up to the U.S. Senate from the House of
Representatives. Over the summer this
has become an extremely competitive race, not just because of Berg’s extreme
views being put under the microscope, one of those views was ND House Bill
1489, which would make abortion a class AA felony, even in the case of rape or
incest. The race has tightened because
of the surprising grass roots approach of Democratic standard bearer, former
North Dakota Attorney General, Heidi Heitkamp.
The race has gone from a Berg + 9 to a statistical dead heat with
some polls showing either Berg or Heitkamp in the lead. Millions of dollars in out-of-State money has
been pouring into North Dakota from both sides as well as independent PACs. Berg is the 13th wealthiest member
of Congress and is tapping some of his own wealth to graduate from the House to
the Senate after less than one term in office.
In 2008, President Obama won 13 of the 53 counties, 8 of those 13
counties are part of the 5 Indian Reservations in North Dakota. So in a tight U.S. Senate race and a throw
away Presidential race (President Obama lost North Dakota by 9 points in 2008
and is trailing Romney by 14, 54-40, in 2012), getting a strong turn-out from
the 8 counties on the five reservations plus a strong Native turn-out in the
cities of Fargo and Grand Forks with a population of 3,200 , could keep the
Senate seat in the Democratic column.
In a Frontline story from 2008, PBS nationally Native Americans
vote democrat by as much at 95%. Some
statistics from the 2006 Senate race in Montana between Democrat Jon Tester and
the GOP candidate Conrad Burns had some Tribal counties voting for the democrat
at an 83% margin, if those same statics bear out in North Dakota, the Native
American vote could be the deciding factor.
There are five federally recognized Indian Tribes in North Dakota
(Standing Rock Sioux, Three Affiliated, Turtle Mountain Ojibwe, Spirit Lake
Sioux, and Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate), the total Native American population is
36,591 who identify as American Indian only, which is 5.4 % of the total
population of 672,592. Others that
identify as mixed, including American Indian is 42,996 or 6.4% of the population. The telling data is that 55% of the Native-only
population live on the five reservations in North Dakota while the others live
off-reservation, this is a very important constituency for either party.
One of the most important ways that Indian Country can gauge how a
candidate will treat us after they are elected is; do they have a Native
American platform on their campaign website?
Have they visited the Indian Reservations and met with Tribal leaders? What is their historical voting record on
Native American issues?
One of the candidates in North Dakota Senate race has a platform
on Native American issues, Heidi Heitkamp.
She has met with the Tribes and appointed a Native American to her
campaign staff, attorney Diane Johnson, a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes
to assist in her Native American outreach.
Heitkamp has also stood up for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid,
and she promises to make sure a farm bill is passed for the farmers of North
Dakota. She is also emphasizing her opposition
to the GOP Ryan Budget which has sharp reductions in federal spending which
will affect Indian Country more severely because of the high unemployment and
lack of opportunities on the reservation.
While the National unemployment rate has dropped to 7.8%, the
unemployment rate in Indian Country is anywhere from 20% to 70% plus. Berg on the other hand has supported the Ryan
Budget, which would negatively affect his Native American constituency.
Berg currently does not have a Native American link on his House
page nor any information on his Berg for Senate website discussing his position
on issues that are important to his Native American constituency. Of the hundreds of statements and releases he
has issued in Congress, only one joint statement with Senators Hoeven and
Conrad about the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe sex abuse issue, dealt with Native
Americans. Requests to Berg’s office have been answered and hopefully Berg’s
position on Native American issues will be forthcoming and a follow-up article
is anticipated.
For the Democrat, former Attorney General Heitkamp to win, she is
going to have to hold her own in North Dakota against Berg for the non-Indian
vote and stay within a percentage point or two of the estimated 315,000 votes
that are typically cast in presidential election years, and that Heitkamp can
overwhelm by winning the Native American vote with 80% plus (which tend to vote
for Democrats in the 80-95% range), which could help her overcome a 2-3%
deficit. She will also need the Native
Americans to vote early and in higher percentages than they have in previous
elections.
For Berg is going to have to reach out to the Native American
population like South Dakota’s GOP Senator John Thune. Granting access to Native Americans, having
an open office and open ear to their issues, as well as appointing a Native
American in his office and create outreach programs to adequately represent his
Native American constituency.
Historically Native Americans have faced extreme prejudice when it
comes to voter suppression, with States like South Dakota preventing Native
Americans from voting until 1975, and the pending lawsuit in Montana where
three Tribes are suing the State to give access to remote Native American
tribes for early and absentee voting. North
Dakota Native Americans are well aware of what is transpiring in Indian
Country, and in this election they have the opportunity to impact the race for
the United States Senate. While other
Native Americans across the Country have the opportunity to let their voices be
heard loud and clear and impact races in Montana, Washington, and New Mexico,
we are not going to sit back and let others make decisions for us that affect
us, and we will vote.
Theron “Scarlet Raven” Thompson is an
enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate (Dakota Sioux) of the Lake
Traverse Reservation. He publishes
articles on Tribal Issues, Energy, Economic Development, Business, Gaming, and
Marketing. He can be reached at theron@scarletraven.com and his blog is www.scarletravenpowwow.blogspot.com
