Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Thai Fighter Jet Bombs Cambodian Targets as Border Battle Escalates

5 hours ago

Wrestling Legend Hulk Hogan Dies at 71, TMZ Reports

7 hours ago

TikTok Will Go Dark in US Without Chinese Approval of Sale Deal, Lutnick Says

8 hours ago

Meme Stock Surge Underlines Market Froth, Mostly Centered on Retail Investors

8 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Still Searching for Missing Mother and Infant

8 hours ago

California Releases Teacher Data. It Shows Big Rise in Hispanic Teachers

9 hours ago

Biting a Bat and 5 Other Wild Moments From Ozzy Osbourne’s Life

9 hours ago

Henry Thompson Did Wonders for Fresno Airport, Leaves ‘Incredibly Big Shoes to Fill’

1 day ago
Warren Struggles to Move Past Native American Heritage Flap
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
February 7, 2019

Share

WASHINGTON — Sen. Elizabeth Warren is on the verge of launching a presidential campaign that should be all about her vision for the future. But first she has to explain her past.
For the second time in two weeks, the Massachusetts Democrat apologized Wednesday for claiming Native American identity on multiple occasions early in her career. The move followed a report that she listed her race as “American Indian” — in her own handwriting — on a 1986 registration card for the Texas state bar.
By providing fresh evidence that she had personally identified her race, the document resurrected the flap just as she’s trying to gain momentum for her 2020 presidential bid, which she’s expected to formally announce on Saturday. Warren didn’t rule out the possibility of other documents in which she identified as a Native American.
In a Democratic primary already dominated by candidates expressing remorse for past actions, Warren’s repentance stood out, both for the distraction the controversy has become for her candidacy and the complexity of her efforts to move beyond it. While her competitors are fine-tuning their messages and trying to demonstrate competence and polish, Warren has repeatedly opened herself up to criticism by relitigating the past.
“It’s not exactly how you’d want to enter the arena” as a presidential candidate, said Paulette Jordan, a former Democratic state representative in Idaho and a member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe who became the party’s gubernatorial nominee last year. Jordan warned that Warren’s treatment of her heritage raises “a whole lot of questions and doubt” about her integrity: “If you cannot uphold that, then it makes things challenging.”
Questions about Warren’s heritage date to at least 2012, when her Republican opponent seized on the issue during her first Senate campaign to wrongly argue she identified as a Native American to advance her career. President Donald Trump frequently deploys a racial slur to criticize Warren.

Undermining the Progress Warren Has Made

Still, Warren has sometimes compounded the problem. In October, she released a DNA analysis that purported to bolster her claims to Native American heritage. Instead, it drew quick criticism from some Native Americans, including a Cherokee Nation official, as insensitive and fumbling.

“I am not a tribal citizen. Tribes, and only tribes, determine citizenship. I have apologized for not being more sensitive to that distinction. It’s an important distinction.” — Sen. Elizabeth Warren
She apologized in private last week to the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation for “causing confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and the harm that resulted,” said tribal spokeswoman Julie Hubbard. And after The Washington Post reported on the Texas state bar registration, Warren addressed the issue publicly Wednesday, telling reporters outside her Senate office that her answers in the past were “based on my understanding of my family’s story.”
“I am not a tribal citizen. Tribes, and only tribes, determine citizenship,” Warren said, adding, “I have apologized for not being more sensitive to that distinction. It’s an important distinction.”
The episode threatens to undermine the progress Warren has made since she launched a presidential exploratory committee in December. She was well-received in Iowa, home to the nation’s first caucuses, last month. She’s also appealed to the Democratic base with arguments that wealthy politicians shouldn’t self-fund their campaigns and proposed an “ultra-millionaire tax.”
Warren’s allies are hopeful that she can focus on the substance of her campaign, but they acknowledge she may have more work to do.
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, a vocal critic of the double standards facing women who seek executive office, said in an interview that “now, everybody’s being scrutinized” over their pasts.
“There’s a tremendous sensitivity to that, with regard to Elizabeth,” Hirono said, referring to relationships with Native American communities. “She is going to need to address it, deal with it. But she has a lot of other issues that she cares about and has fought for for decades. And I hope people will look at that, too.”

Unclear Whether the Controversy Will Wound Warren With Democratic Voters

Waleed Shahid, a spokesman for the liberal group Justice Democrats, praised Warren’s apology as confidence-building “with people in the Democratic Party electorate who are skeptical about the way she’s handled this issue.” He suggested the flap “could be a moment for her to do a landmark speech” addressing blind spots that have beleaguered white candidates — making a subtle allusion to the racism scandal that is engulfing Virginia’s Democratic leaders.
The GOP is seizing on the moment to sow doubt among voters about Warren. The Republican National Committee filed a formal grievance with Texas bar officials on Wednesday, requesting that Warren be disciplined for making “false claims.”
But it’s unclear whether the controversy will wound Warren with Democratic voters. Some of her primary rivals have also aired regret for their past decisions. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, for example, has disavowed her previously right-leaning approaches to immigration and guns. Others, including California Sen. Kamala Harris, have made more limited attempts to patch perceived trouble spots.
Reuben D’Silva, a Democrat in North Las Vegas, Nevada, and former congressional candidate, said he’s not sure how much the average voter is paying attention to Warren’s apology. But “among primary voters, it seems to be a cause of concern.”
D’Silva, a history teacher whose family is from India, said he could give Warren the benefit of the doubt because he understands that people often don’t have extensive records about their family history.
“But if there’s proof she used this to land jobs or advance her career or maybe profit off it in some way, then maybe that could become a problem,” he added.
Warren reiterated on Wednesday that she did not exact any career benefit from her Native American self-identification. But not every tribal citizen is assuaged.

Warren Had Identified as a Minority in Professional Settings

David Cornsilk, a member of the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma, pointed out that Warren had identified as a minority in professional settings beyond the Texas state bar.
“The conclusion I draw is that she may not have gotten benefit from it, but I believe she certainly was trying to,” he said.

“The conclusion I draw is that she may not have gotten benefit from it, but I believe she certainly was trying to.” — David Cornsilk, a member of the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma
Fawn Douglas, a Democratic activist, professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a member of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, said she thought Warren cleared up the matter with her DNA test because she made no formal claim to tribal membership. But Douglas now sees the Texas document as a detriment.
“I really don’t like that further evidence was just introduced after her apology” to the Cherokee Nation, Douglas said. “It’s just one of those smack-my-head kind of moments.”
Douglas said Warren can recover by speaking about issues important to Native American communities, such as tribal sovereignty and missing and slain women.
Bob Mulholland, a Democratic National Committee member from California who’s backing Harris, warned that the distraction would likely follow her to the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire. But, he said, “every story is an opportunity for you, the candidate, to have a conversation with the voters.”
Not to mention, he added, Warren’s issues are “nothing like the problems the Democrats are having in Virginia,” where the state’s top Democrats are engulfed in scandal over racism and sexual misconduct.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

DON'T MISS

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Arrest Two in Mail Theft During Organized Retail Crime Detail

DON'T MISS

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

DON'T MISS

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

DON'T MISS

Madera County Authorities Dismantle Illegal Marijuana Grow Operation

DON'T MISS

Israel and US Recall Teams From Gaza Truce Talks, US Says Hamas Not Showing Good Faith

DON'T MISS

How Long Will Fresno’s Resort-Like Summer Weather Continue?

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Judge Reduces Sentence for Teen Convicted in Killing Orosi Teacher

DON'T MISS

Thai Fighter Jet Bombs Cambodian Targets as Border Battle Escalates

UP NEXT

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

UP NEXT

Michael Whatley, RNC Chair, to Run for Senate in North Carolina

UP NEXT

Video-Sharing App Vine Is Returning ‘in AI Form’, Musk Says

UP NEXT

CBS News Taps Tanya Simon as New Boss of ’60 Minutes’ After Trump Lawsuit

UP NEXT

Justice Department to Assess Claims of ‘Alleged Weaponization’ of US Intelligence Community

UP NEXT

White House Not Denying That Trump’s Name Appears in Epstein Files, Official Says

UP NEXT

White House Taps Mining Expert to Head National Security Office, Sources Say

UP NEXT

White House Says WSJ Report on Trump Being Told Name in Epstein Files “Fake News”

UP NEXT

US Judge Rejects Bid to Unseal Epstein Grand Jury Transcripts From Florida Probe

UP NEXT

US Republicans Continue Push to Override California Animal Welfare Law

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

2 hours ago

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

2 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Dismantle Illegal Marijuana Grow Operation

2 hours ago

Israel and US Recall Teams From Gaza Truce Talks, US Says Hamas Not Showing Good Faith

3 hours ago

How Long Will Fresno’s Resort-Like Summer Weather Continue?

4 hours ago

Tulare County Judge Reduces Sentence for Teen Convicted in Killing Orosi Teacher

5 hours ago

Thai Fighter Jet Bombs Cambodian Targets as Border Battle Escalates

5 hours ago

West Coast Rapper YG to Perform at 2025 Big Fresno Fair

5 hours ago

California Cannot Require Background Checks to Buy Ammunition, US Appeals Court Rules

6 hours ago

Wrestling Legend Hulk Hogan Dies at 71, TMZ Reports

7 hours ago

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

A Fresno brewery is celebrating international friendship with the release of a Japanese-inspired rice lager, created in partnership with Sou...

1 hour ago

1 hour ago

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell stands at the podium to address Judge Alison Nathan during her sentencing in a courtroom sketch in New York City, U.S. June 28, 2022. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

2 hours ago

Clovis Police Arrest Two in Mail Theft During Organized Retail Crime Detail

2 hours ago

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, looks on, before President Trump signs the "Genius Act", which will develop regulatory framework for stablecoin cryptocurrencies and expand oversight of the industry, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 18, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

Authorities in Madera County eradicated more than 1,600 marijuana plants during a search of an illegal grow operation in Raymond. (Madera County SO)
2 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Dismantle Illegal Marijuana Grow Operation

An explosion in Gaza is seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, July 24, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
3 hours ago

Israel and US Recall Teams From Gaza Truce Talks, US Says Hamas Not Showing Good Faith

4 hours ago

How Long Will Fresno’s Resort-Like Summer Weather Continue?

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend