Native American vote

[Thunderbird is the word]

I know that Native Americans currently tend to lean overwhelmingly Democratic and I imagine that historically they might have as well although they had plenty of good reason to distrust both parties given history.

[tpfkaw]

The Native American vote has pretty much always been associated with various political machines, which today (like nearly all modern machines) are almost all Democrat, with exceptions, such as Alaska where it's nonpartisan but pro-incumbent.* In the past it was more mixed than it is now.

*That may be changing to some extent, as they heavily backed Walker (de facto D) over incumbent Gov. Parnell (R) last year.

[Rockefeller GOP]

Honestly, the only stat I've ever seen is they barely voted Republican in 2014, right?

[Miles]

Honestly, the only stat I've ever seen is they barely voted Republican in 2014, right?

^ Really? Mark Begich especially was relying on them heavily. Most every Native American-majority area I can think of still voted Democratic (AZ-01 for Kirkpatrick, southeastern NC for Hagan, the resevation counties in SD for Weiland, etc.).

[Rockefeller GOP]

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/2014/US/house/exitpoll

Exit polls had them going 52-43 GOP, but they were only 1% of those polled, so who knows if it's 100% accurate.

[tpfkaw]

Honestly, the only stat I've ever seen is they barely voted Republican in 2014, right?

^ Really? Mark Begich especially was relying on them heavily. Most every Native American-majority area I can think of still voted Democratic (AZ-01 for Kirkpatrick, southeastern NC for Hagan, the resevation counties in SD for Weiland, etc.).

This is the House exit poll; Alaska natives voted 90%+ for Don Young, of course.

And as pointed out above, people who identify as natives but don't live on reservations, a group which is generally made up of mixed-race people or in many cases Elizabeth Warren-type fantasists relying on family lore, vote (and reliably turn out for off-year elections) like whites do.

[Figueira]

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/2014/US/house/exitpoll

Exit polls had them going 52-43 GOP, but they were only 1% of those polled, so who knows if it's 100% accurate.

Yeah, those exit polls have way too small sample sizes to be believed.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

They vote overwhelmingly Democrat for the same reason all non-whites do: they automatically (but falsely) equate the GOP with racism  They're not stupid, they're just wrong.

[VPH]

Depends. In Oklahoma, many who identify as 'Native American' are GOPers

[ElectionsGuy]

Overall they lean heavily Democratic. But, there are differences. The most Democratic voting ones will be on reservations (SD, Northeastern AZ, ND, etc.), the most republican voting ones in Oklahoma and Alaska (although Native Alaskans lately have been heavily Democratic).

They vote overwhelmingly Democrat for the same reason all non-whites do: they automatically (but falsely) equate the GOP with racism  They're not stupid, they're just wrong.

This is absurd. They vote on real issues just like mostly everyone else.

[All Along The Watchtower]

They vote overwhelmingly Democrat for the same reason all non-whites do: they automatically (but falsely) equate the GOP with racism  They're not stupid, they're just wrong.

Surely the GOP is better with minority voters than you give them credit for.

Anyway, at least among Latinos higher income seems to have a significant positive effect on their likelihood of voting Republican, though that may have to do with assimilation (more likely to live in whiter, middle and upper income communities? idk) or specific country of origin.

[Hatman 🍁]

Based on how they vote in Canada, I would find it surprising that the Republicans would get over 25% of the vote with Natives.

[Adam Griffin]

Oklahoma is really interesting because basically everyone who lived in the state prior to 1965 or so will have at least one Native ancestor.  The Cherokee use a one-documented-ancestor rule for tribal membership and so have become the 2nd largest tribe in the continental US.  The elected leader of the Cherokee Nation is only 1/32nd Cherokee by blood.  

This is why Bushie gets IndianCare, BTW. Practically everyone in Oklahoma is "Cherokee"; the perpetual insistence of white trash all across America is actually legally-acknowledged in Oklahoma ("I can't be racist; I'm 1/16 Cherokee!").

[tpfkaw]

Oklahoma is really interesting because basically everyone who lived in the state prior to 1965 or so will have at least one Native ancestor.  The Cherokee use a one-documented-ancestor rule for tribal membership and so have become the 2nd largest tribe in the continental US.  The elected leader of the Cherokee Nation is only 1/32nd Cherokee by blood. 

This is why Bushie gets IndianCare, BTW. Practically everyone in Oklahoma is "Cherokee"; the perpetual insistence of white trash all across America is actually legally-acknowledged in Oklahoma ("I can't be racist; I'm 1/16 Cherokee!").

I'm 1/16 Cherokee, but can't become a member of the nation on a technicality. (My ancestor lived in Missouri, not Oklahoma at the time of the Dawes Act, and so doesn't appear on the rolls).

[RFayette 🇻🇦]

I don't have the data, but I would imagine it was FDR's Indian Bill of Rights that sealed the deal for most of them. 

Although it is well documented that in Oklahoma, where they have been functionally integrated and intermarried with white people for ~100 years, they are about 60% R.  So there are plenty of exceptions.  Alaska Natives, who have also been treated anomalously well in the recent past, appear to be swing voters.

This.  A minority group's propensity to vote for Republicans is inversely proportional to how much hardship they faced in the past, regardless of which party was doing the "oppressing" at the time.  Blacks, with a long legacy of slavery, tend to be pretty monolithically Democratic-voting, whereas Asians and Hispanics, who have faced less, tend to vote more Republican (though obviously Trump could make both groups vote more like blacks).

[Extrabase500]

Idk their ether extremely libertarian/anti-federal government or extremely left-wing/socialist from my experience and the ones i've met. Im guessing its pretty mixed.

[Crumpets]

Native Americans who live on reservations seem to vote overwhelmingly Democratic. Just look at Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota or Menominee County, Wisconsin.

[RINO Tom]

Unfortunately, I can't provide any anecdotal evidence; I don't think I have every met a Native, besides friends who are like "one eighth American Indian."  I'd imagine those on reservations would be very Democratic and those off - especially those in the rather influential casino industry - would lean Republican.

[Extrabase500]

Unfortunately, I can't provide any anecdotal evidence; I don't think I have every met a Native, besides friends who are like "one eighth American Indian."  I'd imagine those on reservations would be very Democratic and those off - especially those in the rather influential casino industry - would lean Republican.

I've met alot of Indians in Idaho/Kansas/Oklahoma and even in LA. The ones ive met tend to be ether far-left socialists or right-wing libertarians.

[Goldwater]

Unfortunately, I can't provide any anecdotal evidence; I don't think I have every met a Native, besides friends who are like "one eighth American Indian."  I'd imagine those on reservations would be very Democratic and those off - especially those in the rather influential casino industry - would lean Republican.

I've met alot of Indians in Idaho/Kansas/Oklahoma and even in LA. The ones ive met tend to be ether far-left socialists or right-wing libertarians.

I wouldn't think that many Native Americans would be "right-wing libertarians". Does it have something to do with the casino industry?

[Chunk Yogurt for President!]

Unfortunately, I can't provide any anecdotal evidence; I don't think I have every met a Native, besides friends who are like "one eighth American Indian."  I'd imagine those on reservations would be very Democratic and those off - especially those in the rather influential casino industry - would lean Republican.

I've met alot of Indians in Idaho/Kansas/Oklahoma and even in LA. The ones ive met tend to be ether far-left socialists or right-wing libertarians.

I wouldn't think that many Native Americans would be "right-wing libertarians". Does it have something to do with the casino industry?

The government hasn't been good for Native Americans historically.

[tpfkaw]

Unfortunately, I can't provide any anecdotal evidence; I don't think I have every met a Native, besides friends who are like "one eighth American Indian."  I'd imagine those on reservations would be very Democratic and those off - especially those in the rather influential casino industry - would lean Republican.

I've met alot of Indians in Idaho/Kansas/Oklahoma and even in LA. The ones ive met tend to be ether far-left socialists or right-wing libertarians.

I wouldn't think that many Native Americans would be "right-wing libertarians". Does it have something to do with the casino industry?

Russell Means' followers come to mind, although they were always a small minority among the Lakota and I'm not sure his ideas (which definitely put him on the "far-left" of the right-libertarian movement) have outlived his death.

And of course casino executives might be your standard business Republicans, especially in states like WA/OR/CA/NM where the most threatening anti-casino forces are NIMBY Democrats.

And your 1/8 or 1/16 (raises hand) or 1/32-native whites are basically the same as other white people.

But I suspect the poster just hasn't met many natives and, he himself being a "right-wing libertarian," his friends are going to also disproportionately be right-wing libertarians. Or at least the types to politely nod and agree when he starts talking about politics (people who are politically apathetic are especially likely to do this, and natives compete with Hispanics to be the lowest-turnout race/ethnicity).

[Goldwater]

Unfortunately, I can't provide any anecdotal evidence; I don't think I have every met a Native, besides friends who are like "one eighth American Indian."  I'd imagine those on reservations would be very Democratic and those off - especially those in the rather influential casino industry - would lean Republican.

I've met alot of Indians in Idaho/Kansas/Oklahoma and even in LA. The ones ive met tend to be ether far-left socialists or right-wing libertarians.

I wouldn't think that many Native Americans would be "right-wing libertarians". Does it have something to do with the casino industry?

Russell Means' followers come to mind, although they were always a small minority among the Lakota and I'm not sure his ideas (which definitely put him on the "far-left" of the right-libertarian movement) have outlived his death.

And of course casino executives might be your standard business Republicans, especially in states like WA/OR/CA/NM where the most threatening anti-casino forces are NIMBY Democrats.

And your 1/8 or 1/16 (raises hand) or 1/32-native whites are basically the same as other white people.

But I suspect the poster just hasn't met many natives and, he himself being a "right-wing libertarian," his friends are going to also disproportionately be right-wing libertarians. Or at least the types to politely nod and agree when he starts talking about politics (people who are politically apathetic are especially likely to do this, and natives compete with Hispanics to be the lowest-turnout race/ethnicity).

Yeah, I wasn't picturing them when I was thinking of the term "Native American". Actually, I think I have some native american blood in my family, although I don't recall what nation, so I guess I count as being in that group.