A record-breaking number of six Native candidates are heading to Congress after Tuesday night’s election. Six Indigenous candidates won their House races, which means the chamber will now have the most Native lawmakers ever serving at a time.
The two most familiar faces being those of Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) and Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) both won their second terms. They made history of their own in 2018 as the first two Native American women ever elected to Congress.
Tom Cole (R-Okla.) of Chickasaw Nation also won reelection on Tuesday, as did Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) of the Cherokee Nation.
New members will include Republican Yvette Herrell, who unseated Democratic Rep. Herrell, a member of the Cherokee Nation, she previously served in the state’s House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019.
The other new member is Democrat Kaiali’i “Kai” Kahele, who won his race for Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District. Kahele is only the second Native Hawaiian to represent Hawaii in Congress since it became a state in 1959. And has served in the Hawaii Senate since 2016.
This 2020 election held many first milestones for indigenous peoples across the United States. The representative’s commitment to each citizen of their district shows they will serve each of us with integrity as we work together to rebuild our economy and protect the values that make America great!