364 Native American and Alaska Native candidates ran for local, state, and federal office this year, with 225 advancing to the general election. We congratulate every candidate who ran regardless of the result - your presence in these races matters to Indian Country!
As the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is assessing the outcomes of the 2026 Midterm Elections, we will update you on the historic wins for Indian Country in Congress and statewide offices, as well as the changes to Congress that will shape our interactions with the members of the 120th.
Our overview is below.
Results are accurate based on WEdnesday, November 4, 2026 and will be updated.
120th Congress:
6 Native American/Alaska Native members of Congress so far, up from 4. The 117th Congress had the highest number of Congressional Native representation with 6 House members.
House: From 3 to 5, so far.
Elected Tuesday:
New members Claire Valdez (Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo/D-NY 7) and Sean McCann (Citizen Potawatomi/D-MI 4) will be joining Tom Cole (Chickasaw/R-OK 4), Josh Brecheen (Choctaw/R-OK 2), and Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk Nation/D-KS 3), who won reelection.
The results of Arizona 2 and Alaska At-Large are still underway.
We are currently tracking two House races: Jonathan Nez (Navajo) in
race are still underway, so the total of Native Senators could rise to 2 if Mary Peltola wins.
History in the making: Senator-elect Flanagan is the first Native Woman to win election to the Senate.
State Races:
Native American candidates won a governorship and lieutenant governorship, making history along the way.
In New Mexico, Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), a Democrat, became the first Native American woman elected governor of any state.
In Oklahoma, T.W. Shannon (Chickasaw), a Republican, became the first Native American citizen elected lieutenant governor of the state.
Notes:
We are in an era of divided government. The final makeup of the House and Senate is still a few weeks out, with close races throughout the country needing decisions. However, we do know that both chambers will be comprised of Democratic majorities. There will be over 120 new members of the House and at least 16 new senators. We will see significant changes in leadership for both the Republican and Democratic caucuses as well as changes to House and Senate committees.
NCAI will be providing updated information as we are alerted to committee assignments and will discuss the implications and strategies of the 120th Congress when we meet in Washington, D.C. on January 31 through February 4, 2027, for the
Alaska counts slowly. We will not know the results of the Alaska races for a few weeks. Alaska uses ranked-choice voting and allows a 15-day grace period for ballots postmarked on election day to arrive and be counted. The
on November 18, 2026. The results that the Alaska Department of Elections is releasing now are the raw vote count; what we know from these results are that the race for Senate is tight, whereas current House Representative Nick Begich has a healthy lead over Bill Hill.
OMB financial assistance rulemaking, like a zombie, may rise from the dead. Of particular note, the
to financial assistance was put on hold through December 11, 2026, as part of the current continuing resolution. When that CR expires, OMB can restart the process that would fundamentally change how grants, cooperative agreements, pass-through awards, and other forms of federal financial assistance across federal agencies are administered.
NCAI’s comment, as part of the Coalition for Tribal Sovereignty, can be accessed
on November 4, 2026, for Tribal consultation on the rulemaking for November 9 (in-person) and November 10 (virtual). If you would like to attend, email
MBX.OMB.Grants@omb.eop.gov
.
NCAI will be monitoring it all. The Senate and House reconvene next week and will be taking up important votes on funding the government past December 11, 2026, when the current continuing resolution expires, the National Defense Authorization Act, and the Bipartisan American and Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA). NCAI opposes the BAAJA in its current form and is working with a broad coalition to “kill the bill” unless the provisions threatening Tribal sovereignty are stripped. For more information on the BAAJA, head over to NCAI’s
