Two Democratic candidates are each poised to become the first Native American woman elected to Congress, according to the media consensus, which has prompted the question: What about Sen. Elizabeth Warren? Democrat Sharice Davids, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, won her House primary race Tuesday in Kansas, prompting the Kansas City Star and others to report that she would be “the first Native American woman elected to Congress” if she prevails in November. The same has been said of Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna, who captured in June the Democratic nomination for the New Mexico congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who’s running for governor. Not mentioned in the post-primary news coverage was the senior senator from Massachusetts, an omission not lost on social media, where references to her dubious claims of Cherokee ancestry are flying thick and fast. Ahh because @SenWarren isn’t actually a native American gotcha — SmashTheState (@MaddestJack) August 8, 2018 The Democrat Warren asserted minority status as a professor at Harvard Law School even though she’s not an enrolled member of any tribe, an issue that has dogged her since the 2012 Senate race. More recently, President Trump has revived the debate by dubbing her “Pocahontas,” while Independent Massachusetts Senate candidate Shiva Ayyadurai has challenged her reelection bid by calling her a “fake Indian.” Ms. Warren swung back earlier this year by blasting the “Pocahontas” nickname as a “racial slur” while ignoring requests to take a DNA test and redoubling her involvement in Native American issues. With two tribal members running for House seats this year, however, the frequent references to the potential for the “first Native American congresswoman” have assured that the Warren ancestry issue won’t fade any time soon, at least not on social media. Last week at Netroots Nation, Ms. Haaland declared, “If elected, I’ll be the first Native American woman in Congress,” even though Ms. Warren also appeared at the event. Speaking at Netroots Nation right before Elizabeth Warren, Democrat says “If elected, I’ll be the first Native American woman in Congress.” pic.twitter.com/SuBGFS5eoP — Ryan Saavedra 🇺🇸 (@RealSaavedra) August 3, 2018 Media outlets describing the Native American candidates as potential firsts include CNN, Huffington Post, Newsweek and Vox, leading the Daily Caller to declare, “Oops! CNN (and others) don’t believe Senator Warren is Native American.” Salon made it clear that no Native American woman has been elected to the House or the Senate with its February headline: “There’s never been a Native American woman elected to federal office—yet these two are seeking to change that.” Also snubbing Ms. Warren was Indian Country Today, which said nothing about the senator in its Aug. 3 report, “Meet the Native Americans running for office in 2018,” even though she’s seeking reelection in November. The first Native American woman to run for Congress was Jeanne Givens, who ran in 1988 for an Idaho House seat, followed by Ada Deer, who ran four years later in Wisconsin, according to the article. Of the two candidates running this year, Ms. Haaland is viewed as having the best chance of victory, running in a safe Democratic district that Hillary Clinton won by double digits in the 2016 presidential race. Ms. Davids faces a tougher battle against Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder, who has represented the Overland Park district since 2011 and notched double-digit wins in 2016, 2014 and 2012. The Cook Political Report lists the Kansas race as “leans Republican,” but Democrats view the seat as a potential pick-up, given that Mrs. Clinton eked out a one-point victory in 2016. Ms. Warren has said her claims of Cherokee ancestry were based on her family lore growing up in Oklahoma, acknowledging in February that “you won’t find my family members on any rolls” and insisting “I never used my family tree to get a break or get ahead.” “I’m here today to make a promise: Every time someone brings up my family’s story, I’m going to use it to lift up the story of your families and your communities,” she said in a February speech at the National Congress of American Indians conference. Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.<doc-sep>If Sharice Davids prevails in November, she would represent several firsts in Congress. She would be the first lesbian congresswoman from Kansas. She would be one of the first Native American women in Congress. (Deb Haaland, who won the Democratic primary in June in a blue district in New Mexico, could also be elected in November.) And she would be the first congresswoman who was once a professional mixed martial arts fighter. Ms. Davids became the Democratic nominee in the Third Congressional District in Kansas on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. That sets her up against Representative Kevin Yoder, a Republican who has served since 2011.<doc-sep>(CNN) — Sharice Davids, the attorney and former professional mixed martial arts fighter who won the Democratic nomination for a House seat in Kansas on Tuesday, is the latest potentially history-making candidate in 2018’s midterm elections. If she defeats Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder in November, Davids would join New Mexico’s Deb Haaland as part of a class that’s expected to include the first Native American women ever elected to Congress. Davids would also become the second-ever openly lesbian member of Congress, after Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin. And she would be the first openly LGBT person to represent deep-red Kansas, where pro-gay rights activists have spent years fighting bills they see as discriminatory on issues like adoption and participation in college campus groups, at the state or federal level. “What we see are Kansans getting tired of a lot of politics of division and bigotry,” said Tom Witt, the executive director of the LGBT advocacy group Equality Kansas, which endorsed Davids. “The Democrats of northeast Kansas want to send a message that Kansans are not all what you think we are.” Davids won the Democratic nomination in Kansas’$2 3rd District by fending off five other candidates – including progressive labor lawyer Brent Welder, who was backed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who recently ousted New York Rep. Joe Crowley in a primary. She was backed by EMILY’s List, which backs Democratic women for political office. The group pumped $400,000 into television ads in the district, which consists largely of the Kansas City suburbs. In a statement congratulating Davids, EMILY’s List president Stephanie Schriock said she is “on track to make history as one of the first Native American women in Congress, the first openly gay member of the Kansas congressional delegation, and the first Democratic woman to represent this district.” Republicans, meanwhile, immediately sought to latch Davids to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California. “In Congress, liberal Sharice Davids would support Nancy Pelosi and her extreme, out-of-touch agenda of higher taxes for hardworking Kansans. Sharice cannot be trusted in Congress,” said Michael Byerly, a spokesman for the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC that supports Republican House candidates. Davids, a former Obama White House fellow, won with 37% of the vote – continuing the strongest trend in Democratic politics this year of female candidates winning competitive primaries. “I am honored and deeply motivated by the support I received from across this district,” Davids said in a statement. “Thank you to my fellow Democrats in this race for their passion and for engaging in a spirited and important debate about the future of this district and this country. To my supporters: you knocked on doors, made phone calls, donated what you could, and got your friends, neighbors, and family members to the polls. I am eternally grateful for your confidence in me and will work to earn your trust day in and day out in Congress.” Yoder, meanwhile, won the GOP primary on Tuesday with 68% of the vote. The district went for Hillary Clinton narrowly by a single point in 2016 and is expected to be a major battleground in November’s midterms. In other potential firsts from Tuesday night, Rashida Tlaib will likely be the first Muslim woman elected to Congress after CNN has projected her to win the Democratic nomination in the overwhelmingly Democratic 13th District in Michigan. This story has been updated with additional context about Davids throughout.<doc-sep>
If Sharice Davids prevails in November, she would represent several firsts in Congress, she would be the first lesbian congresswoman from Kansas and she would be be one of the first Native American women in Congress. Deb Haaland, who won the Democratic primary in New Mexico, could also be elected in November, but Ms Davids would be the first congresswoman who was once a professional mixed martial arts fighter. She became the Democratic nominee in the 3rd Congressional District in Kansas earlier this week. That sets her up against the incumbent Kevin Yoder, a Republican who has served since 2011. Recommended Paulette Jordan may become the first Native American governor in US Ms Davids defeated five other Democratic candidates, including Brent Welder, who earned support and a campaign rally appearance from two stars of the progressive left, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic nominee in New York’s 14th Congressional District. Ms Davids, a lawyer who spent a year as a White House fellow as Barack Obama handed off to Donald Trump, campaigned on a conventional Democratic platform, including expanded health care access, gun control and opposition to the current president's tax breaks. A member of Ho-Chunk Nation, a Native American tribe in Wisconsin, Ms Davids was backed by Emily’s List, a national organisation dedicated to electing Democratic women. In a statement she called Mr Yoder “a pawn for Donald Trump.” ✕ Rashida Tlaib: possibility of being first Muslim congress woman an actualisation of 'American dream' “Now, we turn to the general election and set our sights on defeating Kevin Yoder, an extremist who has tried time and time again to undermine health care access and give tax breaks for the largest corporations,” Ms Davids said in the statement, The Kansas City Star reported. A spokesman for Mr Yoder, who has been endorsed by Mr Trump and has a significant financial advantage, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Democrats believe they have a chance to pick up the seat, which represents the Kansas City area and its environs, as part of its larger quest to regain control of the House in the November general election. In a statement, Ben Ray Luján, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, called Ms Davids “a strong voice for working families” who is “ready to bring that fight to Congress.” “After this hard-fought primary win, Sharice emerges even stronger in her historic bid to flip this competitive seat,” he said. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Ms Davids said her background would be an asset in the House. “Having LGBT people sitting in the room while decisions are being made, and sitting there as peers, will shift the conversation,” she said. “I think it’s important that the lived experiences and the point of view of LGBT folks be included in conversations that affect all of us.” While Ms Davids would be the first congresswoman to have been an MMA fighter, she would not be the first member of Congress with octagon experience. Oklahoma Republican Markwayne Mullin is also a former MMA fighter. The New York Times