Marie Spry is a person of few words, at least with strangers. Discreet, she becomes a bit more talkative when she proudly discusses her people. She is a member of the Ojibwe, a group of Native American people who live near the Minnesota-Canadian border.
When asked about politicians and elections, she is also reserved. She does not say whom she will vote for, but she does mention that if Kamala Harris and Tim Walz (“a very nice men,” according to her) are elected, the current Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan will become the governor.
“That would be wonderful,” adds Spry. “She is from the White Earth Nation (one of the six bands of the Ojibwe people). She’ll be the first member of any tribe to be a governor of the state.”
Spry is part of the Grand Portage Tribal Council, the governing body of her band, which consists of five elected members. Nowadays, the Grand Portage Band is made up of around 100 people, but only 300 live on their Indian reservation. Their main business is a casino.
Although casinos are not allowed in Minnesota, this kind of establishment can be operated by Native Americans because, according to a U.S Supreme Court decision from 1987, they have sovereign authority to regulate gaming business within their boundaries.
Based on the National Indian Gaming Commission, in the 2023 fiscal year, there were 527 gaming operations run by 245 tribes across 29 states. In that year, these operations had the highest revenue in their history: $41.9 billion, which represents an increase of 2.4% from 2022.
The revenues of Grand Portage’s casinos have provided some resources to the band members. When they turn 18 years old, they receive a sum of close to $100,000 if they graduated from high school, Spry says.
However, not all American Indian casinos are profitable. According to Matthew Fletcher, a professor of law at the University of Michigan, only 10% of these operations are making tribes rich. Fletcher is also a member of the Grand Traverse Band, a tribe based in northwest Michigan that owns three casinos. Two of them make money.
“The life in our tribe is better now with the casinos, than it was when I was a child,” says Fletcher. “At that time, there was no electricity, no water, no jobs. In 1984, the first casino was opened. Ten years later, it turned into a profitable business.”
According to the professor, U.S. politicians ignored Native American people for many years because they represent just 2% of the country’s population. This has changed in the last couple of elections, as the outcomes have become tighter.
“In Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and North and South Dakota, Native Americans have already changed elections in terms of senators and governors,” he says.
Excluding Oklahoma, the majority of Native Americans are Democrats because the Democratic Party has adopted more policies to expand indigenous lands, says Fletcher. However, there is also a historical explanation for this.
Before the U.S. Supreme Court made its decision to authorize casinos on indigenous land, this type of business was only operated in two places in the nation: Las Vegas in Nevada and Atlantic City in New Jersey. Trump was the owner of three casinos in Atlantic City and acted as an opponent of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
This issue might not help Trump secure the majority of votes in Arizona, a swing state, says Fletcher. Native Americans make up 10% of the state’s population. In the 2020 election, Trump received 49% of the votes there, while Joe Biden received 49.4%.
“Native Americans have an opportunity to make a difference again,” adds the professor. “But they also face challenges in voting, as Arizona does not allow voting in any language other than English.”
