Record Number of Native Candidates in Elections

A historic number of at least 355 Native American and Indigenous candidates are participating in local, state, and federal elections this year.

Deb Haaland, who previously served as interior secretary, is in the race for governor in New Mexico. If successful, she would become the first Native American woman to serve as a U.S. governor.

Additionally, significant potential milestones are ahead in the U.S. Senate elections. Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman from Alaska, and Peggy Flanagan, currently serving as Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, are vying for Senate seats. If either candidate wins, they would be breaking new ground as Native American women in the Senate.