Advance Native Political Leadership Action Fund builds Native political power by helping to elect Native leaders at all levels of public office. We’re proud to support the following candidates in 2026. Explore our past endorsements: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022.
DEB HAALAND
she/her
Laguna Pueblo
Office: Governor of New Mexico
Deb Haaland is a visionary leader in environmental stewardship, social justice, and public service. A 35th-generation New Mexican, she has dedicated her life to uplifting communities and fighting for working families. If elected, she would become the first Native American woman to serve as a state governor in U.S. history.
As U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Haaland restored protections for sacred sites like Bears Ears, returned over 500,000 acres to Tribal trust, created the Missing and Murdered Unit within Bureau of Indian Affairs, and launched the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative. In Congress, she distinguished herself as a powerful advocate for equity and sovereignty—co-sponsoring more bills than any other freshman legislator while championing women’s rights, climate action, voting rights, Native language preservation, and justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP).
A single mother who relied on programs like SNAP, Haaland’s lived experience drives her fight for economic justice—raising wages, expanding affordable housing, and creating better-paying jobs for working families.
PEGGY FLANAGAN
she/her
White Earth Nation
Office: U.S. Senate, Minnesota
Peggy Flanagan is a nationally recognized leader and lifelong advocate for children, families, and Tribal communities. If elected, she would make history as the first Native woman to serve in the U.S. Senate.
From becoming the youngest and first Native member of the Minneapolis School Board at 25 to serving as Minnesota’s Lieutenant Governor, Flanagan has consistently expanded representation and delivered results. She has championed paid family and medical leave, free school meals, historic housing investments, and groundbreaking advances in Tribal–state relations—including MMIP prevention, land back efforts, and Native language revitalization.
Re-elected as Lieutenant Governor in 2022, Flanagan is the highest-ranking Native woman currently serving in elected office nationwide. She has also represented District 46A in the Minnesota House of Representatives and served as Executive Director of the Minnesota Children’s Defense Fund, where she fought to end racial inequities for children and young adults.
CLARA PRATTE
she/her
Navajo
Office: Arizona Corporation Commission
Clara Pratte (Navajo) grew up on the Navajo Nation in Tsé Si Ani, Arizona. Her family didn’t have electricity or running water until she was in middle school, which is one reason why she has dedicated her professional life to giving back to rural, tribal, and low-income communities. She is now running for the office that regulates utilities in Arizona.
Pratte holds a Masters Degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. She is the Founder and CEO of Strongbow Strategies, a consulting firm that assists Tribes, governments, and businesses with technical, programmatic, and IT services. She also founded and served as the Executive Chair of Navajo Power, a public benefit corporation that develops clean energy projects on tribal lands.
MICHAEL MAZZOCCO
he/him
Delaware Nation
Office: Phoenix City Council, District 4 (AZ)
Michael Mazzocco currently works in the event planning industry and founded an event coordination firm in 2017. He was born on Fort Sill in Oklahoma and spent his childhood living on military bases in Oklahoma, Georgia, and Alaska.
Mazzacco’s event planning business, Michael Mazzocco Events, has redefined the fundraising landscape in Phoenix and his events have raised more than $500,000 for over 20 local nonprofits and arts organizations. He is a board member of the Phoenix Gay Men’s Chorus, currently chairs the Children’s Museum Gala, is involved with the American Indian Chamber of Commerce for Arizona, and recently concluded a board term with the Arizona Costume Institute.
ANTHONY TAMEZ-POCHEL
he/him
Sicangu Lakota | Key First Nations | Black
Office: U.S. House of Representatives IL-05
Anthony Tamez-Pochel (Sicangu Lakota, Key First Nations, Black) is an Afro-Indigenous activist and public servant, born and raised in Chicago. He is also an alum of Advance’s Native Leadership Institute (NLI)*. In 2023, he was elected to represent District 17 on the Chicago Police District Council, becoming the only current Native elected in Illinois. In that role, he works to promote accountability and incorporate the community’s voice into matters of public safety.
Anthony has a strong record of advocacy for Indigenous youth. He is an active member of Chi-Nations, a grassroots collective creating safe spaces for Native youth through art, activism, and education. He has supported several initiatives at the Center for Native American Youth, including the Youth Advisory Board, Champions for Change, and Democracy is Indigenous.
*(for identification purposes only; NLI is a nonpartisan program)
DIOP HARRIS
he/him
Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi
Office: U.S. House of Representatives MI-04
Diop Harris is a new-generation leader from Battle Creek, Michigan. Inspired by the legacy of civil rights icon John Lewis, Harris stepped into public service with a belief that “the heroes of the past are no longer here to save us—so we must step up to save ourselves.”
After earning a degree in public policy from Michigan State University, Harris served as a field organizer, campaign staffer, and later as a legislative correspondent for Senator Sherrod Brown, connecting constituents to federal services. He is active with the local Democratic Party and the Battle Creek NAACP, where he advocates for justice, equity, and opportunity for working families across Michigan.
Harris is also an alum of Advance’s Native Leadership Institute (for identification purposes only; NLI is a nonpartisan program).
ERIN FARRIS-OLSEN
she/her and they/them
Blackfeet Nation
Office: Montana State Senate District 41
Erin Farris-Olsen is an attorney, nonprofit leader, and former Brothertown Indian Nation Tribal Council member committed to building a fairer, more resilient Montana. With career experience spanning law, watershed health, rural development, and legal aid, Farris-Olsen has consistently championed Native communities and rural working families.
A first-generation college graduate from Carroll College who went on to earn a J.D. from the University of Oregon, Farris-Olsen has led statewide legal services and nonprofit organizations, and most recently served as Communications Director for the Montana Senate before launching a consulting practice supporting Native-led and rural organizations.
Her priorities include lowering housing costs, expanding childcare access, protecting workers’ rights, defending public lands, and ensuring a strong, independent judiciary that puts people ahead of special interests.
JUSTICE HORN
he/him
Blackfeet Nation
Office: Jackson County Legislature, District 1 – At Large (MO)
Justice Horn is a community organizer and advocate working to bring accountability, equity, and representation to Jackson County, Missouri. He serves on multiple local boards and commissions, including the Jackson County Planning Commission, the LGBTQ Commission, and the City of Blue Springs’ Board of Adjustment, and is also active in grassroots movements such as Trans Act KC and Jobs with Justice.
Horn is also an alum of Advance’s Native Leadership Institute (for identification purposes only; NLI is a nonpartisan program).
His legislative priorities include expanding affordable housing, investing in public transportation, and creating workforce training programs that prepare residents for good-paying jobs.