Deb Haaland won New Mexico’s governorship and Peggy Flanagan captured Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race on November 3, setting two firsts for Native American women in elected office. Haaland is the first Native American woman elected governor of a U.S. state, while Flanagan is the first Native American woman elected to the Senate, according to the Associated Press.
The results were still unofficial as of November 5, while state officials continued the canvass and certification process. New Mexico’s election dashboard listed Haaland ahead of Republican Gregg Hull with all precincts reporting. In Minnesota, Flanagan led Republican Michele Tafoya by more than 287,000 votes, according to the state’s election results.
Haaland, a citizen of Laguna Pueblo, previously served as U.S. Interior secretary from 2021 to January 2025. She was one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress in 2018. Her campaign focused on living costs, preserving New Mexico’s universal child care program and changes to the state’s child welfare system.
Flanagan, an enrolled member of White Earth Nation, has been Minnesota’s lieutenant governor since 2019. She previously served in the state House and on the Minneapolis School Board. Her campaign included support for “Medicare for All” and national paid family and medical leave.
The National Congress of American Indians called the victories historic milestones, saying Native women remain underrepresented in elected office. The group’s executive director, Larry Wright Jr., said the wins could encourage young Native women and urged that greater representation lead to progress on tribal lands and treaty obligations.
New Mexico’s and Minnesota’s election authorities had not yet certified the results at the time of publication.
Reid Bentley 
Nicole French