Native American women win firsts as a governor, a senator and Navajo Nation president
Deb Haaland, Peggy Flanagan and Crystalyne Curley won on Tuesday, while Mary Peltola's Senate race in Alaska is still undecided.
Voters on Tuesday elected Native American women to several firsts in tribal, state and federal races. Deb Haaland, a Laguna Pueblo citizen and former , was elected governor of New Mexico, the first Native woman to win a state governorship. Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota's outgoing lieutenant governor and a White Earth citizen, was elected to the US , the first Native woman in the chamber.
Only four Native people have served in the Senate, all men. Crystalyne Curley won election as the first female president of the Navajo Nation. She narrowly defeated attorney Justin Jones, according to unofficial results.
Curley and running mate Chris Deschene take office in January and plan to move the tribe away from coal. Tina Abrams was elected the first woman president of the Seneca Nation of Indians in western New York. In Alaska, the Senate race of Democrat Mary Peltola, a Yup'ik woman, is still undecided.
Advance Native Political Leadership and the news site ICT tally at least 75 winning candidates nationwide: Native women, non-binary or Two Spirit. Strategist Jordan James Harvill called it "a seismic shift."
- at least 75winning Native candidates who are women, non-binary or Two Spirit, by the tally of Advance Native Political Leadership and ICTThe Guardian
- 363Indigenous candidates who ran for local, state and federal office, a recordThe Guardian
- at least 180Indigenous candidates who won their racesThe Guardian
- only fourNative people who have served in the US Senate, all menABC News
Three sides of the story
6 news outlets reported this · Little coverage from conservative outlets
Tap a color or swipe sideways to switch sides.
Liberal4 outlets
A seismic shift for Native women in politics
The Guardian opens with the wave of historic winners, from the first Muslim senator to the first Black female governor, and says Native women's gains were among the most significant. It cites Advance Native Political Leadership and ICT for at least 75 Native women, non-binary or Two Spirit candidates elected. It also reports a record 363 Indigenous candidates, at least 180 of whom won their races.
It quotes New Mexico state senator Angel Charley on seeing Haaland and Davids, and Haaland saying she sometimes forgets the milestone. ABC News runs the AP report, headlined "Native American women made history in tribal, state and federal elections." It starts with Curley's third-grade visit to the Navajo Nation Council and carries Harvill's words, "a seismic shift."
PBS NewsHour names Flanagan, Haaland and Curley as the firsts. Curley's line, "This is a win for all Navajo women," appears in the Guardian and ABC News.
Center1 outlet
AP's account of Native women's historic wins
The Seattle Times runs the AP report under the headline "Native American women made history in tribal, state and federal elections." It opens with Curley's third-grade field trip to the Navajo Nation Council and then widens to the milestone wins, from the first Black female governor to the first Muslim elected to the Senate. Subheads separate the Navajo election, the gains in and Haaland's win in New Mexico.
Voices include Curley, who says she faced sexist rhetoric, voter Lene Bitsui, who says "I was wrong" about her doubts, and University of New Mexico professor Jennifer Nez Denetdale on how tradition is invoked about women leaders. It notes that Curley narrowly defeated Justin Jones, according to unofficial results, the plan to move away from coal, and Peltola's undecided Alaska race. Haaland says "It matters that people feel represented."
- The Seattle Times: Native American women made history in tribal, state and federal elections
Conservative1 outlet
Crystalyne Curley's third-grade visit sparking her political ambition
The Washington Times headlines its piece "Native American women made history in tribal, state and federal elections." Its report starts with Crystalyne Curley's third-grade field trip to the Navajo Nation Council, where a debate between two tribal lawmakers sparked her political ambition.
- The Washington Times: Native American women made history in tribal, state and federal elections
Which side made the stronger case?
We will email you when the story continues. At most one email a day.
All sources: 6 articles from 6 outlets
Liberal (4)
- ABC News: Native American women made history in tribal, state and federal elections
- PBS NewsHour: Native American women made history in tribal, state and federal elections
- The Boston Globe: Native American women made history in tribal, state and federal elections
- The Guardian: ‘Seismic shift’: Native American women made significant gains in US midterms
Center (1)
- The Seattle Times: Native American women made history in tribal, state and federal elections
Conservative (1)
- The Washington Times: Native American women made history in tribal, state and federal elections
The evening briefing by email
One email a day, around 8:30 p.m. New York time: the seven main stories, each with its three sides, and the blind spot of the day. Unsubscribe with one tap.
A Telegram channel is coming soon.