Legislator-elect is tribe’s first

LEWISTON, Idaho – The first American Indian woman to be a Washington state senator gives the Nez Perce Tribe new hope for the governance over land they once controlled.

“My family was raised with the values of serving your community,” said state Sen.-elect Claudia Kauffman, 47, a Nez Perce tribal member from Kent, Wash.

On Nov. 7, Kauffman, a Democrat, won with 53 percent of the vote over Republican air traffic controller Mike Riley for the open District 47 Senate seat. Her campaign focused on education and transportation.

“I’m a working mom with kids in public schools,” said Kauffman, who is married with three children, ages 20, 13 and 12. “For me, taking care of your children is paramount.”

Along with being the first Indian woman in Washington’s Senate, Kauffman is the first Nez Perce tribal member to hold a legislative seat anywhere, said Rebecca Miles, chairwoman of the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee.

“The fact that she is Nez Perce means people will pay attention,” Miles said.

The Nez Perce Indian Reservation is in Idaho, but the tribe’s territory once stretched into Washington, Montana and Oregon. The tribe is active in Washington politics, mainly with issues about the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, fish recovery and efforts to breach Snake River dams.

But Kauffman’s appeal goes beyond tribal issues, Miles said.

“She can say a lot even if the issues aren’t Nez Perce issues,” Miles said. “Her leadership will say a lot about our people, period.”

Kauffman, who never has run for office before, works for the Muckelshoot Indian Tribe in government affairs. She also sits on university boards and owns a small business.

As a tribal member, Kauffman hopes to inspire all young people.

“I believe everyone has a right and an opportunity to serve their community in any capacity that they see fit,” Kauffman said.

She learned civic duty from her parents, John and Josephine Kauffman, who are deceased. As a child, she volunteered with her mother for the clothing bank.

“They would have been proud,” Kauffman said.

Kauffman was born in Lewiston and moved to Seattle a short time later. But her parents lived in Lewiston and Kamiah.

Kauffman gives hope to all Indians, Miles said.

“Indian Country aims for our leaders to step out … go for those types of leadership roles,” Miles said. “That’s where we want our Indian people to be.”

Kauffman doesn’t shy from being a role model. But her run for the Senate had nothing to do with a desire for political gain or fame, she said.

“It was more from the heart,” Kauffman said. “I personally care about the issues.”