Democratic hopefuls, tribal leaders huddle

Leaders of a dozen Western tribes tried to get a jump on a new crop of potential congressmen Friday, meeting with candidates from Washington, Idaho and Montana about their concerns on everything from the federal bureaucracy to the economy.

There’s no guarantee that the candidates – all of them Democrats – who spent the day in Spokane discussing those issues will be able to help them next year. They’ve still got to win in November.

But the meeting was historic, candidates and tribal leaders said.

Sometimes a candidate will stop by a reservation in his or her district during a campaign. Elected officials come to an individual reservation after they’ve been elected, or members of individual tribes go to Washington, D.C.

Getting a group of tribal leaders together with a group of candidates hadn’t happened as far back as anyone could remember.

“But what we’re talking about isn’t the status quo,” said Mathew K.M. Tomaskin, legislative liaison for the Yakama Nation.

Tribal leaders spent time discussing a claim against the federal government over mishandling of money that had been held in trust for Native Americans. They lobbied for a stronger spot for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the federal bureaucracy, suggesting it should be just below the Interior secretary if it couldn’t be granted Cabinet status.

They talked about economic development and housing issues as well as concerns about the Columbia River, said Peter Goldmark, Democratic congressional candidate in Eastern Washington.

“It was really more us listening to them than a discussion,” he said.

Goldmark, who owns and operates a ranch on the Colville Reservation, came up with the idea and put the meeting together with the help of the Colvilles. He’s familiar with many tribal issues from growing up on that ranch, and he invited nearby congressional candidates who also have significant tribal presence in their districts.

There are some 10,000 members on the Yakama Reservation in Central Washington’s 4th District, where Democrat Richard Wright is trying to unseat Rep. Doc Hastings. Larry Grant, candidate in Idaho’s 1st District, which includes the Panhandle, said the area he wants to represent has five tribes on four reservations.

Even if he doesn’t win, the information he learned can be passed on to the next candidate so they have a base of knowledge, Grant said.

Washington has seen two close statewide races in recent years, the 2000 U.S. Senate race and the 2004 governor’s race. Those races were so close that support from the state’s 29 tribes provided victory margins for the winning Democrats, Maria Cantwell and Chris Gregoire, Michael Marchand, chairman of the Confederated Tribes on the Colville Reservation, suggested.

“It’s just amazing to me that no one’s ever thought of this before,” Marchand said.