Montanans elect six Indians to Legislature
Democrats' get-out-the-vote effort results in record turnout on reservations
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Associated Press

HELENA -- While Montana Republicans scored big on key state races, there is one place where Democrats took first: Indian reservations.

Indian voters helped elect six Native American lawmakers to the Legislature, perhaps for the first time in history.

"This was a huge turnout in Indian Country," said Pat Smith, a Missoula attorney and Fort Peck tribal member who helped coordinate the Indian vote for the state Democratic Party. "I also think it was high among the urban Indian community.

"The great news is these Indian legislative candidates. It's just very empowering to have six. I think the highest ever before was four."

The Indian vote also was evident in statewide races, where they voted heavily for Democrats.

While Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark O'Keefe, House candidate Nancy Keenan and Senate candidate Brian Schweitzer all lost their races, they won handily in counties with large Indian populations.

Each won more than 60 percent of the vote in Glacier, Big Horn and Roosevelt counties, all home to Indian reservations.

In fact, counties with high Indian populations were the only counties won by the top three statewide candidates, outside of several large urban counties.

Indian candidates who were re-elected to the state Legislature were Rep. Carol Juneau, D-Browning; Rep. Frank Smith, D-Poplar; and Rep. Bill Eggers Jr., D-Crow Agency.

New Indian candidates elected Tuesday were Joey Jayne, a Navajo from Arlee; Norma Bixby, a Northern Cheyenne; and Gerald Pease, a Crow.

Smith and Darrell LaMere, the Democratic Party's Native American coordinator, worked hard to increase turnout among Indian voters this year.

"We're just trying to get the vote out," Smith said. "We were very interested in getting the statewide candidates to respond to questions on issues and priorities of concern to the tribes."

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