Redrawn 8th District raises tribal political possibilities
Political hopefuls and voters eager to talk about issues important to them swirled around the room during a recent meet-the-candidates event at Bemidji State University.
Caleb Travis is president of the student senate, which organized the event. He welcomed the turnout.
To get all the candidates together at BSU's ballroom was no small feat — he invited a lot of people.
“Actually, my email, I got locked out of it for 24 hours, because I sent so many external emails,” Travis said. “I’m just really grateful that everybody’s here and that we’ve even had a couple more people [who] wanted to participate as well.’’
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The event was open to everyone and there wasn't a lot discussion about the impact of the redistricting. However, Travis says BSU is in tune with its past.
“We at Bemidji State have a land acknowledgement statement and we talk about it very consistently before every event that we have,” he said. “We’re on ceded land and I think a lot of people in the cities don’t understand that. We have a unique connection, and I would love for more legislators to get involved with that.”
For the first time in history the new 8th Congressional District includes all seven of Minnesota’s Anishinaabe reservations.
White Earth Tribal Chairman Michael Fairbanks says the redistricting is a good thing.
“It’s important not only to our little neck of the woods but it covers across the whole 1855, 1854 area where the bulk of the Ojibwe people, we were at. That’s kind of our ancestral grounds and I think it’s important that all of us Ojibwe nations are part of one district and I’m hoping that our voices come out and speak and we have a good election.”
Seeking a third term in the new 8th District is Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber running against Democrat nominee Jen Schultz. Both candidates say they have reached out to tribal nations seeking their support.
On the state level the newly redrawn Senate District 2 includes White Earth, Red Lake and Leech Lake reservations. Campaigning for that seat are two White Earth enrolled members, Republican state Rep. Stephen Green and Democrat Alan Roy.
Red Lake Nation member Erika Bailey-Johnson is the third Indigenous candidate vying for political position in the area. A Democrat, she is running against incumbent Republican Matt Bliss for Minnesota House District 2B.
Some political analysts argue there won’t be much of an impact with the addition of the Indigenous nations. Louisa Posada disagrees. She's been involved in Minnesota politics for 20 years and now chairs the Native Peoples Caucus and is campaign advisor to Alan Roy.
“When this starts gaining momentum and we start understanding the process and the actual power that’s behind the vote,” she said. “And when we start showing our kids that they need to register and they need to become leaders, they’re going to pick it up. And like my children said, 'Mom, we don’t need you to speak for us, you just need to get out of the way.'“
In the 2020 general election, Red Lake had 3,406 registered voters with 2,299 showing up to the polls. When contacted by MPR News, White Earth did not have separate tribal voting numbers for state and federal elections available for 2020. However, with more than 19,000 enrolled members, it's the largest tribe in Minnesota both in geographic area and population.
Posada says these are the early days after redistricting and people are still working through what it all means.
“Realistically, it’s going to be a learning process for everyone, and we probably won’t grow and get the results that we expect right away,” she said. “We all, both the political parties and Indigenous tribes, need to understand we have a lot to learn. So, it’s a lot of communication.”
Posada says the worst-case scenario for Indigenous nations in 8th Congressional District would be causing distrust between the tribes “if they don’t feel like enough is getting done or that they’re being played.”
“It has to be mutually beneficial, and we don’t need a seat at the table behind the house at the kiddie table,” said Posada.
Observers say the Anishinaabe reservations have a decade to organize their voices into a powerful voting bloc in the 8th District.