Native American voters in Montana are coming home to the Democratic Party in what appears to be historic numbers, drawn in large part by the strength of the records and agendas of Gov. Steve Bullock, candidate for U.S. Senate, and former State Rep. Kathleen Williams, a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives.
As get out the vote efforts ramp up in Indian Country amid early voting and absentee ballot voting, endorsements are rolling in for the Democrats from organizations representing thousands of members of the eight federally recognized tribes in Montana.
“Gov. Bullock has often demonstrated a willingness to listen, learn and face the challenges that encompass Native American life in Montana,” said Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council Executive Director William F. Snell, Jr., in announcing his organization’s endorsement for Bullock. “His record of reaching out and respecting tribal sovereignty, while also recognizing the unique nation-to-nation relationships tribes have with the federal government, became the foundation of an increasing trust between the tribal nations and his administration.”
In an endorsement by the group Montana Native Vote, Rhonda Whiteman, treasurer of the organization, insisted Williams will be “a champion in Washington for tribal nations in Montana.”
“Kathleen Williams has consistently been an advocate for Native Americans. Williams was one of the key negotiators on the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Water Compact, and helped ensure its passage,” Whiteman said of the landmark water rights agreement that has national implications.
“We know that Gov. Bullock’s proven history of working with tribal leaders across Montana to get things done for Indian Country will drive his work when he gets to Washington,” wrote Chairman Harlan Baker in the endorsement by the Chippewa Cree Business Committee.
So why is the Native American endorsement so coveted in Montana? Like Arizona, North Carolina, Nevada and New Mexico, the Native American vote in Montana can be the decider in a close race. Some 7 to 10 percent of voters in Montana identify as Native American.
It is, however, a voter group that cannot be taken for granted. Native American votes can swing from election to election. Yet the move to support Democrats this year is not a surprise, according to political insiders. Internal polling and focus group results from allied non-profit organizations indicates healthcare is the top issue pulling Native American swing voters away from Republicans and into the ranks of Democratic voters in 2020.
“There is no question that this year the three most critical issues facing Native Americans in Montana are healthcare, healthcare and healthcare,” said Blackfeet Tom Rodgers, a Montana Native activist and longtime Capitol Hill staffer for former Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT). “Tribal sovereignty, voter suppression, water rights and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic are very much still deeply-rooted driving forces in elections, but with coronavirus, everyday Native Americans are facing a life or death reality.”
Rodgers added, “There is no ethnic group in America that has paid a higher price than Native Americans for Washington’s failure to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, when it comes to voting rights, the unseemly efforts to suppress the Native American vote is what I call ‘the Jim Crow of the West.’ It has to stop.”
Without question, Bullock and Williams’ issue agendas on Native American healthcare, tribal sovereignty, voter suppression schemes, water rights and halting the wave of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women are rock solid. Both have records to prove it.
The candidates’ stellar scorecard on the issues have all but eliminated efforts by the opponents of Bullock and Williams to strong-arm Native Americans into endorsing them this year. Not to be overlooked is the Trump factor, which is also causing a backlash against Republican candidates. With the most anti-Native American president in office since Andrew Jackson, Montana Republicans are seen as enablers for the hater-in-chief by a majority of Native Americans.
“We cannot afford to go backwards,” said Glacier County Commissioner Tom McKay (D-Browning), a member of the Blackfeet Nation, who is up for re-election. “The tribes and nations in Montana have made great strides, thanks to the strength of our families, our self-empowerment and enterprise, along with our partnerships with trusted allies outside our community.”
McKay added, “Our inherent ability to survive as a people and as a culture are at stake, so we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the current enablers of a dictator, who creates policies that are potentially deadly to Native Americans in Montana.”
Written by guest contributor Ken Bazinet. Ken is a respected, longtime national reporter and freelance writer based in rural Maryland.