Well, okay, maybe not all I want - but I'm guessing six winning Lotto numbers are out of the question.
Anyway, yes, today is my birthday. No, I'm not gonna tell you how ancient I am. I wasn't even gonna tell you that it's my birthday, but I decided that I should use it as leverage. So here's what I want:
Over the jump is a list of candidates, either Native Americans or those who support Native issues. Where they have an ActBlue page, I've linked to it. If you're feeling inclined to give a few bucks to a candidate who needs help, please consider giving to one of these. We need them and they need you.
Here's a short list of candidates at all level that need our support. If you want to do something nice for me today, drop a few bucks in their coffers.
Secretary of State: Chris Deschene
Chris Deschene is Diné (Navajo). I profiled Chris Deschene's candidacy back in August. As I noted then:
He's a lawyer specializing in renewable energy, an engineer, an Arizona state legislator, a Marine Corps veteran, a husband, a father of two children - and a solid progressive Democrat. He's already declared that one of his priorities will be cracking down on voting irregularities - as in voter suppression.
And lest anyone forget how important the Secretary of State's office is in Arizona, remember that it's first in line of succession to the Governor's mansion. Indeed, that was how we got Jan Brewer: a Republican Secretary of State who ascended to the governorship by default when Janet Napolitano was appointed head of DHS. And that, my friends, is how we got the abomination that is AZ SB 1070.
With racism, thuggery, and theft running rampant in Arizona, we need Deschene to be the proverbial "heartbeat away" from the Governor's Mansion.
Ojibwa also profiled Deschene twice: here, placing his candidacy in historical context and noting Arizona's early attempts to disenfranchise Native voters; and here, focusing in Deschene's record.
Chris Deschene's ActBlue page is here.
AZ-07: Raúl Grijalva
One of the few true liberals in Congress, Raúl Grijalva has been a constant supporter of progressive causes. He's also a staunch supporter of the Arizona tribes: He's beating back a flagrant attempt by foreign mining corporations to grab protected lands sacred to the tribes. And of course, in today's teabaggy environment, he's now endangered. We can't afford to lose him.
Raúl Grijalva's ActBlue page is here.
NEVADA
State Assembly: John Ocequera.
John Ocequera (Paiute) is a member of the Nevada state legislature from District 16, encompassing Southeast Las Vegas. He became Assembly Majority Leader in 2007, and returned to that post in 2009. With Nevada threatened by teabaggy types like racist Sharron Angle, who remains a member of the state legislature while she tries to wrest Harry Reid's U.S. Senate seat from him, we need to support as many good state-level Democrats as possible.
Ojibwa profiled Oceguera here.
OKLAHOMA
Auditor: Steve Burrage.
Steve Burrage (Choctaw) is a CPA and former president of a local bank. In 2008, he was appointed by the governor to serve as auditor, and is the first CPA to do so in more than 30 years. He is currently running for his first full term in the position.
OK House of Representatives: Cory Williams.
Cory Williams (Cherokee), a first-year member of the OK house of Representatives from District 34, has been endorsed by the Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Choctaw Nations. He flogs his "bipartisanship," but in deep-red Oklahoma, there isn't much choice. I'd rather have a Dem who talks about bipartisanship who can win and who still fights for education and health care than a Republican who will do his best do destroy every last vestige of the social safety net.
District Attorney, Osage and Pawnee Counties: Jeff Jones.
Jeff Jones (Osage) is currently the First Assistant District Attorney for Osage and Pawnee Counties, with experience prosecuting violent crimes. Born and raised in Skiatook, OK, he earned two business degrees from OSU. After 18 years as a truck driver for UPS, he entered law school, earning his J.D. in 1999. He has worked as an ADA since 2002.
His Republican opponent is Rex Duncan, an OK state senator who introduced the "Save Our State" ballot measure, which would have forbidden the state courts from "imposing Shari'a law" - or even considering international law - in deciding cases. Duncan also insists that the U.S. was "founded on Judeo-Christian principles," and that his ballot initiative "is a war for the survival of America."
Ojibwa profiled all three Oklahoma Democratic candidates here. As he notes at the end of that diary, Oklahoma Native candidates are an unusual lot: There are more of them that are Republicans than Democrats. We have to change that. Republicans are not friends to Native Americans; let's show NDN Democrats that we've got their backs.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Attorney General: Ron Volesky
Ron Volesky (Standing Rock Sioux) badly needs our help. He's running for the office of Attorney General, against Rovian right-wing apparatchik incumbent Marty Jackley, who's been busy using the power of the office to aid the GOP in suppressive Native votes. As with so many Native candidates, funding is scarce; Volesky doesn't even have a Web site. Let's help change that.
Ojibwa profiled Volesky earlier today, here. (You can still tip and rec his diary, so please do.) And last night, meralda reported again on these threats, bringing both Volesky and Nesselhuf (discussed below) to our attention. (You can also still tip and rec meralda's diary, by the way, so please do.)
Secretary of State: Ben Nesselhuf
Ben Nesselhuf is non-Native, but he's a long-time supporter of Native rights. He's running against GOP incumbent Chris Nelson, who's been busily aiding and abetting his party's attempts to suppress the Indian vote in this year's election. As a state senator, he's introduced a number of pieces of legislation designed to ensure the integrity of the electoral process, and he's promised to implement the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) fully. He's already come out in public opposition to GOP attempts to keep Indians from voting, and has committed to ensuring full ballot access for all.
South Dakota really needs our help. It's home to the poorest demographic in the nation, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, with an 86% unemployment rate, an average annual household income of $3,750, a male life expectancy of 43 (equal to Somalia's) and a female life expectancy of 52. Pine Ridge, along with the Rosebud and Cheyenne River Reservations, suffered horribly through last year's brutal winter ice storms and sub-freezing temperatures, with a Republican governor who refused to issue a disaster declaration for the rezes until Kossacks pressured him long, loud, and publicly. Now, state GOP thugs are actively working to suppress the Native vote, and they (illegally) managed to shorten the early voting period for Pine Ridge from six weeks to 22 days.
The NAN team, led by founder navajo, launched a massive aid effort over the winter. More recently, I've covered the voter suppression abuses here, here, and here. Ojibwa has also placed current suppression efforts in historical context in "Diluting the American Indian Vote, which covered such abuses in South Dakota and elsewhere.
INDN's List
This summer, Kossack Sara R and the NAN team, along with several other Kossacks, launched a fundraiser for INDN's List (the Indigenous Democratic Network) with a drawing for Sara R's famous star quilt. INDN's List occupies a special place in our hearts, so if none of these candidates jazzes you, you can check out their Web site for additional Native candidates who they have endorsed.
Chi miigwech.
Cross Posted at Native American Netroots
An ongoing series sponsored by the Native American Netroots team focusing on the current issues faced by American Indian Tribes and current solutions to those issues.