Native American women poised for political history
- by Brian Eckberg
Two-Spirit Columnist
All-Nations Two-Spirit Society
The 2026 midterm elections are just days away, and Native American women are on the precipice of history. No Indigenous woman has ever won an election as a U.S. senator or state governor. Three ladies are on a mission to change that on November 3rd.
The first is Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota’s current lieutenant governor, who is of Ojibwe descent and a citizen of the White Earth Nation. The race for U.S. Senate is a tight one, with Flanagan currently leading by 2-4% over the republican challenger.
The second is Mary Peltola, a former U.S. Congresswoman from Alaska, who is Yup’ik and a citizen of the Orutsararmiut Traditional Native Council tribe. Her race for U.S. Senate is even tighter, with Peltola in a dead heat against the Republican challenger.
The third is Deb Haaland, also a former U.S. Congresswoman from New Mexico, who is the first and only Native American cabinet secretary in U.S. history, serving as President Biden’s Secretary of the Interior. Her race for New Mexico Governor shows a consistent lead for Haaland over her republican challenger.
For those of us in the Two-Spirit and IndigiQueer communities, having a Native American woman in the U.S. Senate or governorship demonstrates rising power for those of us who have felt left out of government for so long.
Watch these races closely. It will be a reason to celebrate if we see these women rise to power and give representation to more than just white males. We may still be living in Trump’s America. But these moments signal a larger change coming to U.S. politics.
Thanks for reading & Wado!
The Gayly online. 10/3/26 @ 6:14 p.m. CST.