Native American women win key posts in US midterm elections
Voters elected the first Native American woman governor and senator, with more Indigenous women winning tribal and federal posts.
Key points
- Deb Haaland is set to lead New Mexico as the first Native American woman governor.
- Minnesota's Peggy Flanagan is poised to become the first Native woman in the Senate when her term begins in January.
- Advance Native Political Leadership and ICT counted at least 75 winners who were Native women, non-binary or Two Spirit candidates.
- Mary Peltola's Alaska Senate race was still undecided at the time of reporting.
Native American women made major gains in the US midterm elections, according to The Guardian. Voters chose the first Native American woman governor and the first Native American woman senator, and they also picked leaders for two tribal nations.
Figures from Advance Native Political Leadership and the news site ICT show that at least 75 winners were Native women, or non-binary or Two Spirit candidates, across the country. The Associated Press also quoted a strategist from the group, who described the shift as seismic for Indigenous communities.
Key races and winners
Deb Haaland, a Laguna Pueblo citizen, is set to lead New Mexico. She previously served as interior secretary under Joe Biden.
Minnesota’s current lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan, belongs to the White Earth band of Ojibwe. She is due to take a seat in the US Senate for her state.
In tribal politics, Crystalyne Curley is set to become the first female leader of the Navajo Nation, one of the largest tribes in the country.
Tina Abrams will head the Seneca Nation of Indians in western New York. Her election also marks a first in the tribe’s modern history.
Mary Peltola, who is Yup’ik, may also join the Senate as a Native woman. Her Alaska race has not been called, so the outcome is still pending.
Background to the gains
Native Americans gained the right to vote across the whole country only in the 1960s. In 1985, Wilma Mankiller was chosen as the first woman principal chief of the Cherokee Nation.
In 2018, Haaland and Sharice Davids, a Ho-Chunk Nation member, were the first Native women sent to Congress. Davids won a fifth term last week in Kansas. In 2020, Yvette Herrell, a Cherokee, became the first Republican Native woman in Congress, serving from 2021 to 2023.
In 2023, New Mexico became the only state to enact an updated Native American Voting Rights Act. The law gave tribes more say over polling sites and redistricting.
Why it matters
A record 363 Indigenous candidates ran in local, state and federal races this cycle, and at least 180 of them won. Claire Valdez, who belongs to Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, is a Democrat from New York and will sit with Davids in the House.
Only four Native men have served as senators in the chamber’s 237-year history. If Flanagan takes her seat, she would be the first Native woman there, starting in January.
Curley told the Associated Press that Native women must put in extra effort in politics, and she said she faced sexist comments during her race. Abrams said in a statement that a woman will finally lead her nation as president, a moment she linked to earlier generations of Seneca women.
Frequently asked questions
Who are the first Native American women to win major office in the 2026 midterms?
According to The Guardian, Deb Haaland will lead New Mexico as the first Native American woman governor. Flanagan is expected to become the first Native woman in the Senate when her term begins in January.
How many Native women won office in the midterms?
The Guardian, citing Advance Native Political Leadership and ICT, reported that no fewer than 75 Native women, non-binary people and Two Spirit candidates won nationwide. A record 363 Indigenous candidates ran, and at least 180 of them won.
Is the Alaska Senate race result confirmed?
No. Mary Peltola could become another Native woman in the US Senate, but her Alaska race was still undecided in the reports.
Sources
This article was written with the help of AI from reports by the outlets listed above. See our Editorial Policy. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
