While 14 Native candidates were running for U.S. House and Senate in Tuesday’s elections, dozens more were looking to make their mark at the state and local level.
They included notable candidates for statewide office, legislatures, and courts.
In statehouse races, first-time candidate Christina Haswood, Diné, will become Kansas' youngest sitting legislator after no one filed to run against her in the general election. The 26-year-old Democrat won her state House primary with 70 percent of the vote.
Another Democrat, Stephanie Byers, Chickasaw, is poised to become the first transgender woman in the Kansas legislature, with unofficial results showing she won her race for the state House.
And Democrat Ponka-WeVictors, Tohono O'odham and Ponca, will be returning to the Kansas House for a sixth term. She became the first Native woman elected to the Kansas Legislature 10 years ago.
Meanwhile, Wyoming’s election featured two Northern Arapaho candidates who ran against each other for a state House seat. Republican Valaira Whiteman lost to the Democratic incumbent, Andi Clifford. Diné Republican Affie Ellis, Wyoming’s first Native state senator, also won reelection.
Another noteworthy contest was in Washington state, where Raquel Montoya-Lewis, Isleta Pueblo kept her seat on the state Supreme Court, according to unofficial state results. Montoya-Lewis this year became the first Native American to serve on the court after Washington’s Democratic governor chose her to replace a retiring judge.
Michigan’s election featured an Indigenous candidate who appeared to be the first-ever nominated to compete for the state's top court. Katherine Mary Nepton, Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation, lost her bid for a Michigan Supreme Court seat. She was nominated for the ballot by the Libertarian Party.
In Montana, Shane Morigeau, Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes, was unsuccessful in his run for the statewide office of auditor, the official tasked with regulating insurance and finance, and managing tax revenue.
Here’s a look at Nativecandidates in state and local races in Oklahoma:
LOST: Chelsey Branham, Chickasaw, State House 83, Democrat.
UNOPPOSED: Mark Mc-Bride, Potawatomi, StateHouse 53, Republican.
WON: Collin Walke, Cherokee Nation, State House 87, Democrat.
LOST: Summer Wesley, Choctaw, State House 100, Democrat.
WON: Shane Jett, Cherokee Nation, State Senate 17, Republican.
LOST: Jennifer Wilkinson, Cheyenne and Arapaho, State Senate 45, Democrat