Meet the Native American Woman Who Beat the Sponsor of North Dakota's ID Law

[iluvtennis]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/13/us/politics/north-dakota-ruth-buffalo.html



In the end, the Native American tribes of North Dakota could not save their preferred candidate, Senator Heidi Heitkamp, from a double-digit loss.

But galvanized by anger over the state’s voter ID law and aided by the intensive efforts of tribal leaders and advocacy groups, they turned out for last week’s election in numbers unprecedented even for a presidential election, much less a midterm.

In Sioux County, where the Standing Rock Indian Reservation is, turnout was up 105 percent from the last midterm elections in 2014 and 17 percent from the 2016 presidential election, according to data from the North Dakota secretary of state’s office. In Rolette County, home to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, it was up 62 percent from 2014 and 33 percent from 2016. In Benson County, home to the Spirit Lake Nation, it was up 52 percent from 2014 and 10 percent from 2016.

One of the most striking results of the night, though, came far from the reservations: in a normally Republican district in the Fargo area, where Ruth Buffalo became the first Native American Democratic woman elected to the North Dakota Legislature. She did it by unseating State Representative Randy Boehning, the primary sponsor of the very voter ID law Native Americans had feared would disenfranchise them.

....continued at link

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woohoo, she knocked another rethug out. And doubly sweet that she beat the one who passed the bill that required native americans to have street address on their ID.

[Stallion]

1. womp womp

[Hermit-The-Prog]

2. good to see NYT reporting this

I was wondering if "The Gray Lady" was going to report on this. It's certainly of national interest and importance. It's part of a pattern.

RandySF posted alternet's article on Ruth Buffalo's win a few days ago: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211406335

[iluvtennis]

4. Thanks for the other link...glad it was reported here.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

5. thank *you*: NYT is interview; other is simply report

The NYT article lets Rep.-elect Buffalo (feels good to put that title there!) speak. The earlier article was short and quick to show the irony of her defeating the one who tried to disenfranchise Native Americans. I especially like this part:

What were the biggest issues you focused on in your campaign?

Access to health care. I knocked over 6,500 doors, and that was the most common theme I found at the doors from voters. Another issue that came up was our education system, K-12 and higher ed, and then also property taxes. People are afraid to be thrown out on the street, to lose their homes because the property taxes continue to increase.

KY uses property taxes to pay for education, too. I've always thought that was nuts.

[Bayard]

3. Rachel interviewed her on her show tonight.

[Judi Lynn]

6. I saw that. Such very outstanding news she is going to Congress, isn't it? True justice, too. n/t

[Cha]

7. Thank You, ILT! What a

beautiful woman.. glowing from the inside out!

One of the most striking results of the night, though, came far from the reservations: in a normally Republican district in the Fargo area, where Ruth Buffalo became the first Native American Democratic woman elected to the North Dakota Legislature. She did it by unseating State Representative Randy Boehning, the primary sponsor of the very voter ID law Native Americans had feared would disenfranchise them.

Ruth Buffalo!

[question everything]

8. K&R