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For the past 30 years, many close campaigns for the U.S. Congress and Senate in the Northern Plains States have been won and lost by the Native American vote. Native American tribes with major casinos have become significant national and state contributors to campaigns and parties in the past decade.
However, with some notable exceptions, the parties and politicians are still not responding sufficiently to Native American needs. Despite their potential voting and financial clout, Native Americans have not always been able to count on politicians to represent their interests once elected. Democrats often have taken the Native American vote for granted. With the exception of certain individual, progressive candidates, Republicans have regarded the Native American vote as either insignificant or not worth pursuing, assuming votes are going to the Democrats.
The educational and socio-economic conditions faced by Native Americans today continue to remain desperate. Tribal people can no longer assume that either major party will champion improvements in Native communities. For the 2004 federal and state elections, we must find a more effective way to harness the political capital of our people.
"A Contract with Native America" has to be developed, borrowing the phrase used by Newt Gingrich (R-GA), former Speaker of the U.S. House. Such a strategy paper should be presented to all parties and candidates who desire Native American votes or campaign contributions....