Former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colorado) could have seen himself voting for Barack Obama if two of his favorite Republicans weren't in the race.

Campbell served as honorary co-chair of the American Indians for McCain Coalition and backed the Republican nominee. He also liked Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), who introduced a resolution to apologize to Native peoples for their treatment by the federal government and sought the GOP nod.

But Campbell, a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana, might have voted for president-elect Obama if neither of his friends had run. “He really broke the glass ceiling for people of color. if an African American can become the president of the United States, why can’t a Native American?” Campbell told Indian Country Today.

Campbell said McCain kept promising to hold a tribal event during the campaign but one never materialized. “Each time, he assured me he wanted to and he would. But then when I would call his scheduler and his staff people, they absolutely locked Indian people out. They wouldn’t let him meet with them," Campbell told ICT.

Get the Story:
Nighthorse Campbell explains McCain’s Native downfall (Indian Country Today 11/7)

Relevant Documents:
NCAI Post-Election Analysis (November 2008)

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