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SIOUX FALLS - A tribal judge has no authority to keep Republicans from watching Tuesday's voting on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney James McMahon said Saturday. McMahon said that anyone who tries to carry out the order would be subject to violating federal law. "It would be my interpretation of that order that it does not comply with the law, and I have let it be known to law enforcement that they should not be enforcing any order on the reservation which purports to keep the Republican Party away from the polls," he said. Also Saturday, a Republican poll...

As polls show he is at a real risk to lose the election, South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle has issued an urgent call for American Indians in the state to vote for him, stressing the fact that early voting laws mean anyone can file a ballot between now and election day. "Voters in Indian Country will once again have the chance to help determine who controls the White House and the United States Senate," Daschle said. "The new early voting offices make participating in this important election easier than ever before." New early voting offices are now open in Pine...

Means, Thune not on the outs By Denise Ross, Journal Staff Writer PINE RIDGE -- Longtime American Indian activist Russell Means and Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Thune are once again partners on the campaign trail. After endorsing Thune and making campaign appearances with him, Means blasted Thune's campaign in July for not taking his advice to heart. "I tried to help the Republicans. They didn't want my help," Means said two months ago. Means had said he could guarantee Thune 4,000 new Indian votes in his tight race against Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., if the Republican followed his advice....

Navajo maidens lining up for the annual beauty pageant, the sheriff of the local Apache County signing up deputies for the fight against drugs and a doom-laden white preacher handing out free Gideon bibles. At first glance, the annual Navajo rodeo looks much as it has done for decades. High up in the mountains of Arizona, this is the largest annual gathering of American Indians, or Native Americans as they are now known. And it is a rare chance to get a whiff of the old West. Ten-gallon hats, cowboy boots and a swagger remain de rigeur for the Navajo...

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites), on the western leg of a coast-to-coast campaign tour, courted Hispanic and Native American voters in states he hopes can give him a winning edge. Kerry talked about health care, education and tribal rights through whistle-stops in New Mexico and Arizona. His wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, sometimes added a few words in Spanish to the delight of the crowds. Kicking off a late-night rally Sunday, Kerry pledged to invest in Native American health care. "If there's anything that sort of represents the fallen agenda and the confrontation with...

PINE RIDGE, S.D. – Bruce Whalen is trying to persuade people around the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to do something they just don't do: vote Republican. The task may seem daunting if not impossible in a county where Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 11-to-1. But Republicans believe the Indian vote could play a decisive role in this year's closely watched Senate race between Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle and former GOP Rep. John Thune. They say Daschle has failed to use his clout in Washington to solve rampant problems on the reservation, where people live in almost Third World conditions. Unemployment...

(Talon News) -- The toughest campaign of Sen. Tom Daschle's (D-SD) 25-year career keeps getting tougher. The Senate Minority Leader is not only running neck and neck with former Republican Congressman John Thune, Daschle is facing a primary challenge. Tim Giago, a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe will compete for the Democratic nomination for Senate in South Dakota's June 1 primary. Giago, the editor/publisher of the "Lakota Journal" said, "The people of the Indian reservations of South Dakota are not ... the top priority of either Daschle or Johnson." He pointed out, "The unemployment rate on the larger reservations...

Campaign 2004: A presidential year Posted: January 02, 2004 - 11:58am EST 2004 is a hugely important presidential year and a tremendous opportunity for Native people to educate America on the reality of place and position of American Indian tribal nations in the fabric of North America. As the presidential election year progresses, we will return to thoughts and analysis of candidates and policies on a consistent basis. It is hard to assess just how deep the support of President George W. Bush is among the American people. Good news in Iraq and even perhaps at home on the...

Campaign 2004: The Iowa Caucus, silence on the Native front Posted: January 02, 2004 - 11:49am EST by: Jennifer Hemmingsen / Correspondent / Indian Country Today In a few weeks, Iowa Democrats will be the first to weigh in on a slew of hopefuls for the Democratic presidential nomination. Until then, those contenders and their supporters will flood the state, talking to anyone who will listen about prescription drugs, the war on terror, or whatever else is on voters’ minds. But you can bet some issues won’t be addressed; although candidates for the 2004 nomination have been courting Native...

<p>RAPID CITY, S.D. - Republican John Thune has received the backing of American Indian activist Russell Means as Thune challenges Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle in this year's election.</p> <p>"I'm going to work with Sen. Thune's staff and the state Republican Party, and that will open doors to work with the National Republican Party to completely change Indian policy in America," Means said.</p>

RAPID CITY - Republican John Thune has received the backing of American Indian activist Russell Means as Thune challenges Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle in this year's election. ''I'm going to work with Sen. Thune's staff and the state Republican Party, and that will open doors to work with the National Republican Party to completely change Indian policy in America,'' Means said. He made the announcement Wednesday during a Pennington County Republican luncheon, where he declared himself a ''Lakota Libertarian Republican.'' Thune, who met privately with Means, later said he plans to seek ideas, support and voters from Indian people across...

GOP eyes American Indian vote in traditional Democratic stronghold By Carson Walker, Associated Press Writer Bruce Whalen is a college student who speaks his beliefs with conviction, but his message aims to turn the political status quo on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation on its head. The Pine Ridge man's mission is to persuade people to do something they don't do here: Vote Republican. In Kyle, Karlene Hunter has the confidence of someone who has had to fight for what she has. Hunter, last year's National Indian Businesswoman of the Year, dresses casually but carries herself with a Wall Street professionalism...