Native Americans chafe at Brown-Warren race [View all]

[alp227]

For the first time that Laurie Weahkee can remember, Native American heritage has become an issue in national politics. Under other circumstances, that might be welcome. But in this case, Weahkee, a Navajo, Zuni and Cochiti Pueblo in New Mexico, is appalled at what she is hearing.

Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) has focused his reelection campaign’s attention on the self-proclaimed Native American heritage of his Democratic challenger, Harvard Law School professor Elizabeth Warren. Years ago, Warren listed herself as a Native American in professional directories commonly used by recruiters.

Her claims set off a controversy in the campaign, one of the most closely watched races in the country. A Boston Globe poll released Sunday showed Warren leading Brown by 43 percent to 38 percent. Eighteen percent were undecided.

Brown brought Warren’s lineage back into the spotlight with his remarks in a Sept. 20 debate and in an ad using old news accounts to renew skepticism about his opponent’s ancestral claims. The two politicians will meet for their second debate Monday.

full: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/native-americans-chafe-at-brown-warren-race/2012/09/30/f743ed90-096d-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_singlePage.html