The west front of the U.S. Capitol. Photo: Architect of the Capitol / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
Ten Indigenous candidates have advanced to general elections for the U.S. House and Senate this year, ICT reported, out of 25 who ran for federal office in 2026. Election Day is Nov. 3.
Three of the candidates are running for the Senate.
The Senate races
Minnesota: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a citizen of the White Earth Nation and a Democrat, faces Republican Michele Tafoya. Flanagan won the Aug. 11 Democratic primary over U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, 59.01% to 39.39%, according to results from the Minnesota Secretary of State reported by NPR. If elected, Flanagan would be the first Native woman to serve in the U.S. Senate.
Alaska: Former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, who is Yup’ik and a Democrat, is challenging Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Oklahoma: N’kiyla “Jasmine” Thomas, who is Chickasaw, is on the ballot for the U.S. Senate.
The House races
- Alaska at-large: Bill Hill, who is Dena’ina, faces Republican Rep. Nick Begich.
- Arizona’s 2nd District: Jonathan Nez, former president of the Navajo Nation and a Democrat, faces Republican Rep. Eli Crane.
- Kansas’ 3rd District: Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids, Ho-Chunk, seeks reelection.
- Oklahoma: Republican Reps. Tom Cole, Chickasaw, and Josh Brecheen, Choctaw, seek reelection.
- New York’s 7th District: Claire Valdez, a citizen of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo.
- Michigan’s 4th District: Sean McCann, a Citizen Potawatomi Nation member.
Milestones
Several of the candidates have already made history. Davids was elected in 2018 alongside Deb Haaland of New Mexico as one of the first two Native American women in Congress. Peltola became the first Alaska Native member of Congress in 2022. Cole was first elected to the House in 2002.
Beyond party
Native candidates on this list span both major parties, and their positions on many national issues differ sharply. Cole, for example, is a senior Republican appropriator with a long record on tribal programs, while Flanagan and Davids have built their careers in Democratic politics.
What they share is a perspective that is still rare in Congress: lived experience as citizens of nations that hold a government-to-government relationship with the United States. In a year when federal funding cuts, consultation failures and court fights have tested that relationship, that perspective carries weight in debates over appropriations, land and jurisdiction.
The number of Native candidates in federal general elections remains small relative to the 535-member Congress. Native voters, and the barriers they face at the polls, may matter as much as the candidates. In Alaska, where Alaska Natives make up a significant share of the electorate, and in Minnesota, Native turnout could be pivotal in close races.
