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Obama's Native Vote Director Takes Stand

By Kevin Abourezk

Much like the dog soldiers of his people, the Rosebud Lakota, Wizipan Garriott has planted his staff and doesn't plan to budge - at least not until the end of the election.

As Sen. Barack Obama's Native Vote director, Garriott will remain in the key battleground state of New Mexico until the election is over, he said in a phone interview from Albuquerque Thursday. There, he'll focus on getting new and early voters to the polls, especially Natives, who account for more than 47,000 of the state's voters.

"It could prove to be critical in the election," he said of New Mexico. "It's all about the early vote at this point."

It isn't the first time the state has proven a hotly contested battleground: In 2000, Al Gore won the state by just 365 votes; in 2004, John Kerry lost it by just 3,000 votes.

"The Navajo Nation alone could make that up," Garriott said of the 3,000-vote spread in 2004.

This year, he's hopeful the Navajo, the largest tribe in the country, will do just that: come out in record numbers and vote for the candidate Garriott feels has done the most to reach out to Native people.

His confidence was reinforced this week when the Navajo Nation tribal council endorsed Obama, adding its voice to the 16 tribal councils and more than 100 tribal leaders across the country who have endorsed the Illinois senator.

At an early voting campaign event on the Jicarilla Apache reservation in New Mexico Wednesday, the Obama campaign got 169 early voters to the polls, more early voters than voted during the entire election season on the reservation in 2004.

At an early voting event at the Jemez Pueblo in northwestern New Mexico Saturday, Obama staff provided food and speakers to get the word out about their candidate.

"It was a really good community event," Garriott said.

Garriott attended a conference with Navajo leaders earlier this week in Window Rock, Ariz., a meeting that preceded the tribal council's endorsement, which Garriott called a key one in Indian Country.

"That's right in McCain's backyard," he said.

On Friday morning, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson plans to join the Obama campaign during early voting events in Gallup and Farmington, N.M.

On Tuesday, both Obama and McCain spoke via satellite to Native leaders gathered for the 65th annual National Congress of American Indians conference being held this week in Phoenix. During their addressess, both candidates promised to create White House-level Native staff positions.

Garriott said McCain is late to the game when it comes to the White House position, which Obama promised months ago.

"McCain has followed Barack's lead on Indian issues," he said.

Well, mostly. McCain has not offered to host an annual summit of Native leaders at the White House if elected, as Obama has.

That reflects Obama's willingness to work with tribes on a government-to-government basis, Garriott said.

"I really feel like we're going to see a change like we've never seen before," he said.

Garriott joined the Obama campaign during the summer of 2007, making him one of the longest serving Native Obama staffers.

Is he exhausted?

"It's time to put even more energy into the effort," he said.

Can you see him standing beside his staff?

Kevin Abourezk's "Red Clout" columns are available for syndication. Please contact reznet to purchase republishing rights.

Kevin Abourezk, Oglala Lakota, is a reporter and editor at the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star. He writes reznet's "Red Clout" political blog and teaches reporting at the Freedom Forum's American Indian Journalism Institute. Abourezk was awarded a Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism in 2006.

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