Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (D), long seen as a foe in Indian Country, says he will "listen – and I really mean listen carefully and thoroughly" to tribes if he were elected to the U.S. Senate.

Blumenthal has fought tribes on sovereignty, taxation, land-into-trust, gaming, labor and federal recognition matters for over a decade. But he tells Indian Country Today that his past and current stances won't matter on Capitol Hill.

"The point is I’m seeking a new and different role as an elected official. I really hope to begin a conversation with tribal leaders across the country, because if I am fortunate enough to be successful in becoming a U.S. senator, my role will be a very different one than it is right now," Blumenthal told ICT in an interview.

Blumenthal recently testified against a fix to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar. As a Senator, he says he would "talk to Indian leaders" before proposing any changes to the land-into-trust process.

Get the Story:
Blumenthal is ‘ready to listen and learn’ from Indian country (Indian Country Today 1/26)

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