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- By Native News Online Staff
Native Vote 2024. On Wednesday, Team Harris-Walz launched Native Americans for Harris-Walz alongside Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan (White Earth Ojibwe) Democratic National Committee Native American Caucus Chair Clara Pratte (Navajo), and Tribal organizers from key states.
Even though efforts have been underway for months, Wednesday’s announcement was meant to create awareness around Native Americans who have been and will be active until the November 5 election with the hopes to energize the Naive vote for the Democratic ticket.
Native Americans for Harris-Walz is a national organizing program to continue engaging and mobilizing within Native American communities across the nation. This national program will engage tribal and Native American leaders, tribes, and tribal and Native American organizations to mobilize voters and supporters across the country to:
- Harness and channel enthusiasm among the Native American community for the Harris-Walz campaign.
- Highlight and share messaging that resonates with Native communities on the Vice President Harris’s accomplishments for Tribal communities and draw contrast with Donald Trump’s failed record.
- Meet Native and Tribal voters where they are at in culturally competent ways, including online engagement, in-person engagement, events, roundtables and listening sessions, and in-language programming.
- Energize key Native American and Tribal groups and leaders as well as voices and trusted content creators on social media to bring supporters into the program.
- Engage key Harris-Walz campaign principals and surrogates to activate and mobilize Native American voters through national, state, and local level programming and contrast messaging.
In the coming days and weeks, the campaign will be deploying political and organizing activity in key states for this coalition leading up to and on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and throughout election day in states such as Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Minnesota, and New Mexico. Team Harris-Walz will also partner with Native American surrogates, elected officials, and trusted community voices for canvass launches, early voting programming, and recruitment activities across key states.
Native American leaders have already mobilized in support of Vice President Harris and Governor Walz. They have led community outreach initiatives across key regions, hosted awareness events, engaged in digital and relational organizing, and led voter education and protection initiatives in key states.
With early in-person voting starting in Arizona on October 9, leaders and members will highlight the importance of engaging with and mobilizing Native American voters who will play a pivotal role in electing Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz.
Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are committed to respecting and strengthening Tribal Nations, fighting back against the climate crisis, protecting Native American women and children, and ensuring everyone has the chance to not just get by, but get ahead.
Also, on Wednesday, DNC Director of Outreach Communications Tracy King released the following statement:
“This election is about two drastically different visions for America: the Harris-Walz vision of a new way forward for our country where all Native people have the opportunity to not just get by, but to get ahead, versus the Trump-Vance plan to drag our country backward.
The Biden-Harris administration has fought for Tribal Nations and Tribal communities through historic investments to improve Tribal health care, public safety, language preservation, and education, close the digital divide, expand economic opportunities, and address the impacts of climate change on Tribal communities.
On the other hand, Donald Trump and JD Vance have failed Native communities, proposing cuts to critical services, undermining federal Tribal land protections and efforts to address the climate crisis, and spewing hateful rhetoric. The contrast couldn’t be clearer: Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are the only candidates in this race championing the rights of Native communities and taking steps to advance Tribal sovereignty and self-determination.”
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