Presidential candidate makes first major play for Indian vote

The 2020 Democratic presidential field is a crowded one and some candidates are seeking to distinguish themselves by making a play for the Native vote.

Though American Indians and Alaska Natives only represent about 1.3 percent of the nation’s population, their votes can sway outcomes in several battleground states. With more than two dozen hoping to lead the United States, presidential hopefuls can’t afford to ignore the voices of the first Americans, advocates say.

“No candidate should take the Native American vote for granted,” said O.J. Semans, a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. “But when candidates demonstrate they understand the issues and will work for the betterment of our people and our communities, they can earn our votes.”

In hopes of demonstrating that point, Semans and Four Directions, an organization he co-directs, are making history with the Frank LaMere Presidential Candidate Forum. To be held next month in Iowa, one of the most important campaigning states, the event is the first of the 2020 cycle to focus on Indian issues and it’s the first of its kind in more than a decade.

“Candidates want to say yes to this event, because they understand voter turnout is increasing dramatically in Indian Country,” said Semans of the forum, named in honor of the late Frank LaMere, a prominent activist who passed away last month after dedicating his life to advancing Native causes.

Five of the major party candidates so far have agreed to take part in the August 19-20 event, organizers announced on Thursday. The Democrats who already said “yes” are: Bernie Sanders, the U.S. Senator from Vermont, author Marianne Williamson; Steve Bullock, the governor of Montana, Julián Castro, a former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and John Delaney, a former U.S. Congressman from Maryland.

Additionally, independent candidate Mark Charles, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, will be attending the forum. It’s being held at the Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City, a community with a thriving urban Indian population and one near the homelands and reservations of several tribes.

Ahead of the event, Castro announced on Thursday that he will be returning to Iowa to campaign. His weekend includes a session with citizens of the Meskwaki Nation in Tama, about 220 miles east of Sioux City.

At the event on the Meskwaki Settlement on Friday, Castro will formally unveil his “People First Indigenous Communities Policy”. His platform stresses sovereignty, treaties, justice for Native women and tribal-federal partnerships.

“We can never undo the injustice of our country’s treatment of Indigenous people. But as a nation, we can live up to our treaty obligations, strengthen tribal sovereignty, and be a serious partner in improving and strengthening our shared destiny,” Castro, who led the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Barack Obama administration, said of his platform in a post on Medium on Thursday.

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