Democrats, women clean up in all-Native candidate match for North Dakota District 9
‘Minority of minority’ emerges from new voter map to challenge conservative trend at statehouse
Indigenous Democracy Reporter
According to the North Dakota Secretary of State, Davis received 32% of the vote. Brown and Brien were closely matched, each earning about 24%, with Brown winning by just 35 votes. Graywater received 19%. (Screenshot taken from the North Dakota Secretary of State)
Tribal citizens running on the Democratic Party ticket – two of them women — swept up all the North Dakota statehouse winnings in the new majority Native voter District 9. Not lost on the candidates was the contrast with results in most other districts of the Republican-dominated Legislative race.
Thanking supporters, incumbent Rep. Jayme Davis urged further participation in state affairs.
“Get involved, get engaged, because as Indigenous people, we’re a minority of minority,” she said. “We’re a minority, and then we’re part of the minority caucus. So we need people to step up and use their voices.”
A Turtle Mountain citizen, Davis initially won the seat and assumed office on Dec. 1, 2022, after hard fought redistricting created the new District 9 around her reservation and the Spirit Lake tribal nation. The state Democratic-Nonpartisan League elected her as caucus chair in 2023, making her the first American Indian to hold a leadership position in the North Dakota Legislature.
In the 2024 voting, District 9 residents also selected Collette Brown, from Spirit Lake, to become their state representative. Brown recalled taking part in the redistricting process. “I went and asked for our tribe to have its own district, and basically, before I even got to speak, a committee member came out to me and told me that, you know, you guys are a minority group, and whatever you’re going to ask for –– it’s not going to happen.”
She slid in just ahead of the Republican candidate, with 35 votes more than David “Doc” Brien.
Davis earned 32% of the vote, according to the North Dakota Secretary of State. Brown and Brien each took 24% of the vote. Graywater received 19%. In total, 9,403 residents cast ballots in the election.
In the District 9 Senate race, Democratic incumbent Richard Marcellais of Turtle Mountain withstood the challenge of Republican Judy Estenson, claiming 61% of votes.
“Get involved, get engaged, because as Indigenous people, we’re a minority of minority. We’re a minority, and then we’re part of the minority caucus. So we need people to step up and use their voices.”
Jayme Davis, District 9 state representative
The campaign took place under the shroud of the state’s ongoing 2023 federal court appeal to deny the certification of the majority Native district. Secretary of State Michael Howe’s appeal is in response to Native voting rights advocates’ success in obtaining a court decision in favor of their proposed map, following the 2020 U.S. Census-mandated redistricting.
On election night Nov. 5, Davis and family members gathered to await the election results. Around 10 p.m., the Turtle Mountain citizen learned that she had been re-elected. Davis expressed her happiness that both she and Brown received the opportunity to represent District 9, especially given that North Dakota is historically a conservative state.
“To see the numbers finally come in was a relief,” Davis said in an interview with Buffalo’s Fire. “And then to see that our district went back to being Democratic. It’s a blue dot in a sea of red. And so it just means that much more to me because our voices are unique. Our voices are needed in the state legislature.”
During the same evening, Brien and his family circled around the radio to hear the results. In addition, he kept an eye on the North Dakota Secretary of State website every 30 minutes. In an interview with Buffalo’s Fire, he said, “My reaction is that it was a close call in a close race and we wish we had won, but we didn’t.”
Brien said he intends to go on serving the Turtle Mountain community to the best of his ability. He works at Houston Engineering and is active on the airwaves at the reservation Two Hearts Radio KXYM-LP-FM, a Catholic broadcaster from Belcourt.
“My way of life is helping Indian Country,” he said. “So I just continue doing everything I can to help people help people and development. So my whole life has been spent helping Native American individuals and Native American communities.”
Davis is deciding which of her proposed bills she should begin to push once the next legislative session begins in January. The bills she has been working on include revision of the tribal vehicle taxation law, which passed during the last session, as well as measures requiring tribal consultation. This would ensure that any legislation directly affecting Native nations engages tribal leaders and the tribes in decisions. She is also focusing on mental health initiatives and creating an alert system for when Indigenous people go missing.
“There’s a lot of work that goes into getting the bills ready to be introduced,” she said. “It’s not just an overnight thing. It takes months and months of work. I can only carry a handful of bills and do them justice. So I have to be mindful and strategic.”
Like Davis, Brown aims to prioritize tribal consultation and address the issue of tribal vehicle taxation. Additionally, Brown wants to introduce a bill that provides free school lunches for students statewide.
Davis said she’s grateful for the support she has received from constituents. She is committed to representing them during the upcoming 80-day legislative session and hopes to see residents get involved and advocate for the bills she introduces.
Brien also thanked his supporters and continues to encourage them to become involved in their community. “Let’s just keep working together to help Indian country and all the citizens of District 9,” he said.
Davis congratulates tribal citizen Lisa Finley-DeVille (D) on her re-election as representative for District 4A state, which covers the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. She also applauded Richard Marcellais (D) for winning the District 9 senate seat, while thanking Brien and Graywater for their run in this year’s election.
“I have nothing but respect for anybody that decides to step up, whether it be at the local level, county level, state level or federal level,” said Davis. “It’s all in the name of doing better, doing what we can for our people. I’m thankful for them. I hope they continue to still be active in what they believe in.”
Polling for the state Senate and House seats normally occurs every four years. But a court-enforced ruling on redistricting after the 2020 U.S. Census required 2022 and 2024 voting in District 9. The seats in the district will be on the ballot again in 2026, when the other odd-numbered districts are up for elections.