Flanagan, Haaland and at least 75 Native women win office in historic midterm gains

Native American women won a series of firsts in last Tuesday's elections. Democrat Peggy Flanagan became the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Democrat Deb Haaland became the first to win a state governorship, in New Mexico ¹.

Voters elected at least 75 Native women or nonbinary and Two Spirit candidates nationwide, according to the group Advance Native Political Leadership and the news site ICT ². A record 363 Indigenous candidates ran this year, and at least 180 of them won ².

On tapeKUNM Radio · Nov 4

▶0:31

Firsts in Washington, Santa Fe and tribal capitals

Flanagan is a citizen of the White Earth Nation and Minnesota's outgoing lieutenant governor ¹. Only four Native people have ever served in the Senate, all men, in the chamber's 237-year history ².

Haaland, a citizen of Laguna Pueblo, was the first Native American to lead a U.S. Cabinet agency, the Interior Department ¹. She now faces campaign promises to make life more affordable in New Mexico and to improve the state's poor education results ¹.

From Channel GOPDeb Haaland wins New Mexico, vows to fight TrumpDeb Haaland · 261 plays · captioned, with the source named

In the House, New York Democrat Claire Valdez and Michigan Democrat Sean McCann became the first Native Americans elected to represent their states in Congress ¹. Kansas Democrat Sharice Davids won a fifth term ².

Crystalyne Curley was elected the first woman president of the Navajo Nation, according to unofficial results. She narrowly defeated attorney Justin Jones ¹. The Seneca Nation of Indians in western New York also elected its first woman president, Tina Abrams ¹.

On tapeABC7 · Nov 4

▶3:21

I could not run for the US Senate without Native women. I could not exist in the way that I do without Native women.

Jordan James Harvill, a Cherokee Nation citizen and strategist with Advance Native Political Leadership, called the results a "seismic shift" ¹. He said decades of political organizing are paying off ¹.

What happens next

Curley and running mate Chris Deschene take office in January. They plan to move the Navajo Nation away from coal development, long a major source of tribal income ¹. The Navajo Nation spans 27,000 square miles across Arizona, New Mexico and Utah ¹.

Alaska's Senate race is still unsettled. If Democrat Mary Peltola, who is Yup'ik, wins, three Native people would serve in the Senate at once for the first time. The third would be Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Cole, a Chickasaw Nation citizen ¹.

Native Americans were allowed to vote in every state only from the 1960s ². That makes this week's results more than a symbolic win.

That matters for Democrats because these gains came in a Senate seat, a governor's mansion and tribal governments. Whether the party keeps this support will depend on whether it delivers on affordability and education, the promises Haaland now has to meet ¹.

It's not just a slogan. It matters that people feel represented.

The Record

1. Aug 11, 2026Flanagan won Minnesota's Democratic Senate primary, as news organizations projected ¹.
2. Nov 3, 2026Voters elected Flanagan, Haaland, Navajo Nation president-elect Curley and Seneca Nation president-elect Abrams, all history-making firsts ¹².

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<h2>Flanagan, Haaland and at least 75 Native women win office in historic midterm gains</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Campaign Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/flanagan-haaland-and-at-least-75-native-women-win-office-in-historic-midterm-gains">The GOP Files</a> on Sunday, November 8, 2026.</em></p> <p>Native American women won a series of firsts in last Tuesday&#39;s elections. Democrat Peggy Flanagan became the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Democrat Deb Haaland became the first to win a state governorship, in New Mexico .</p> <p>Voters elected at least 75 Native women or nonbinary and Two Spirit candidates nationwide, according to the group Advance Native Political Leadership and the news site ICT . A record 363 Indigenous candidates ran this year, and at least 180 of them won .</p> <h2>Firsts in Washington, Santa Fe and tribal capitals</h2> <p>Flanagan is a citizen of the White Earth Nation and Minnesota&#39;s outgoing lieutenant governor . Only four Native people have ever served in the Senate, all men, in the chamber&#39;s 237-year history .</p> <p>Haaland, a citizen of Laguna Pueblo, was the first Native American to lead a U.S. Cabinet agency, the Interior Department . She now faces campaign promises to make life more affordable in New Mexico and to improve the state&#39;s poor education results .</p> <p>In the House, New York Democrat Claire Valdez and Michigan Democrat Sean McCann became the first Native Americans elected to represent their states in Congress . Kansas Democrat Sharice Davids won a fifth term .</p> <p>Crystalyne Curley was elected the first woman president of the Navajo Nation, according to unofficial results. She narrowly defeated attorney Justin Jones . The Seneca Nation of Indians in western New York also elected its first woman president, Tina Abrams .</p> <blockquote><p>I could not run for the US Senate without Native women. I could not exist in the way that I do without Native women.</p><p>&mdash; Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota lieutenant governor and Senate-elect, Democrat-Minnesota</p></blockquote> <p>Jordan James Harvill, a Cherokee Nation citizen and strategist with Advance Native Political Leadership, called the results a &quot;seismic shift&quot; . He said decades of political organizing are paying off .</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Curley and running mate Chris Deschene take office in January. They plan to move the Navajo Nation away from coal development, long a major source of tribal income . The Navajo Nation spans 27,000 square miles across Arizona, New Mexico and Utah .</p> <p>Alaska&#39;s Senate race is still unsettled. If Democrat Mary Peltola, who is Yup&#39;ik, wins, three Native people would serve in the Senate at once for the first time. The third would be Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Cole, a Chickasaw Nation citizen .</p> <p>Native Americans were allowed to vote in every state only from the 1960s . That makes this week&#39;s results more than a symbolic win.</p> <p>That matters for Democrats because these gains came in a Senate seat, a governor&#39;s mansion and tribal governments. Whether the party keeps this support will depend on whether it delivers on affordability and education, the promises Haaland now has to meet .</p> <blockquote><p>It&#39;s not just a slogan. It matters that people feel represented.</p><p>&mdash; Deb Haaland, Governor-elect of New Mexico, Democrat</p></blockquote> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/flanagan-haaland-and-at-least-75-native-women-win-office-in-historic-midterm-gains">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/flanagan-haaland-and-at-least-75-native-women-win-office-in-historic-midterm-gains.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. PBS NewsHour / AP, “Native American women made history in tribal, state and federal elections” (2026-11-08). pbs.org/newshour/politics/native-american-women-made-history
2. The Guardian, “'Seismic shift': Native American women made significant gains in US midterms” (2026-11-08). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/08/native-american-women-mi

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