History for Native American women: first U.S. senator and governor

In a historical win for Native American women, it is projected that Deb Haaland, D-New Mexico, will be the country's first Native American woman governor, and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, D-Minnesota, will be the country's first Native American woman U.S. senator.

Haaland, the former secretary of interior, is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and is from Navajo County, Arizona. Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, could also be joined for the historical moment by Yup’ik Alaska Native and former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, if she ousts Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan. The Alaska results, though, could take up to two weeks to be reported, and polls in the state had yet to close by the time Flanagan's race was called.

The evening marks a historic moment for the Native American community, which has seen men serve as U.S. governors and members of both chambers of Congress. Native American women, including Haaland, have served in the House of Representatives.

Larry Wright Jr., Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians, told USA TODAY in an email that "Native women have always been the strength and leadership of our Nations," and that the projected wins by Haaland and Flanagan "bring that enduring legacy of leadership into places where Native voices have too often been absent."

"For Native young people, especially Native girls, this moment affirms that their identities, experiences, and responsibilities to their communities belong at every level of public service" Wright Jr. said in the statement. "For Indian Country, it underscores the power of Native civic participation and the importance of leaders who understand that Tribal Nations are sovereign governments."

Haaland was also the first Native American to serve as a U.S. Cabinet member, under former President Joe Biden's administration, and she also made history in 2019 as one of the first two Native American women ever elected to Congress, along with Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas.

Oklahoma has had two Native American governors, but they were both men: Johnston Murray (1951-1955) and Kevin Stitt (2019-present).

Four Native American men have served as U.S. senators, but when former Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, left his seat earlier this year to join the Trump administration as Department of Homeland Security secretary, the Senate was left with no Native American members.