Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) hasn't made any appearances in Indian Country during his presidential campaign but he's got two key tribal advocates on his side.

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), the only Native American in Congress, and former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colorado), who retired in 2004, say McCain's record on tribal issues is well-known. They cite his work on the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the Native American Languages Act, tribal college reauthorization and Indian water rights among his achievements.

“He will know these issues better than any president ever has in my lifetime,” Cole, a member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, told Indian Country Today. “He knows them more than his advisers do."

Campbell has been campaigning for McCain in Indian Country and says the candidate supports increased funding for the Indian Health Service, a resolution to apologize to Native people for their treatment by the federal government and reform of the federal recognition process.

Get the Story:
Campbell, Cole on John McCain (Indian Country Today 10/17)

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