"I'm Indian and I vote,"

At long last perhaps some overdue political respect?

--ryan



Tribal Leaders Sees Indians Having Role in Election
JENNY PRICE
Associated Press

BOSTON - Ho-Chunk Nation President George Lewis wears a button during this week's National Democratic Convention that reads "I'm Indian and I vote," a reminder of the burgeoning political force in Wisconsin he represents here in Boston.

But votes aren't the only thing Wisconsin's 11 American Indian tribes - just under 1 percent of the state's population - have to offer.

In the past two years, Wisconsin tribes have contributed more than $700,000 to the Democratic National Committee to help elect Gov. Jim Doyle. They also fought a lawsuit brought by Republican state legislators that sought to invalidate gaming compacts they signed with Doyle.

The state's tribes collected nearly $1.1 billion in revenue in 2003, according to a study released earlier this month. Their relatively newfound prosperity has been tempting to state lawmakers looking for extra money to fill budget deficits.

"They hear Native American, the first thing they say is 'Casino. Big money,'" Lewis said.

Lewis, 60, said in the aftermath of the court battle, it's clear Indians must become more active in politics to protect their interests, something it's not always easy to convince them of.

"They don't trust and that's a big issue," Lewis said. "What I'm saying is we have to take the chance, go out and say 'We are here. we've been here and we're going to be here.'"

He also wants to convince the non-Indians among the more than 30,000 people who work for tribes at casinos to vote.

"The majority of our employees are female and 80 percent are non-native," he said. "There's people that aren't being reached."

Lewis is leading the convention's Native American caucus and also helping raise money for John Kerry's campaign as a member of his national finance committee. Like Kerry, Lewis is a Vietnam veteran.

Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a nonpartisan campaign finance group, said he expects the Ho-Chunk and other tribes to make major political contributions again this year.

"They were not players in Wisconsin politics until very recently. When they jumped in, they made a big-time splash," McCabe said. "What we've seen is the entrance of a new and very powerful force in Wisconsin."

Lewis said it's up to the Ho-Chunk's legislature to decide whether the tribe - which gave the DNC $500,000 just before the 2002 election - will contribute again this year.

Tribal legislators won't make that decision until September and Lewis said members are split on whether to contribute, because "once we spend it nationally, there's a big controversy."

Republican lawmakers sued Doyle last year over the compact he signed with the Forest County Potawatomi. It included no expiration date and allowed the tribe to offer Las Vegas-style games such as craps and roulette in exchange for more than $1 billion over the next decade.

The future of those deals is in limbo after the state Supreme Court ruled in May that Doyle exceeded his authority in signing them.

The fight played a role in James Crawford, a Potawatomi member who lives in Crandon, deciding to run for the state Assembly. In September, he'll compete in a three-way primary in the 36th District that covers part of northeastern Wisconsin, including Forest County.

"One of the things I'm really tired of hearing all the time is 'We have to get more money out of the Indian people,'" Crawford said. "There's no corporation in the state of Wisconsin or, as far as I know, in the entire country that pays that kind of money."

Crawford, 54, said the Indian vote alone won't get him elected, but he hopes members of his tribe carry through with their pledges of support.

"They're saying 'We're behind you and we'll get out and we'll vote,'" he said.