Durant, Oklahoma is Trump country.
The sitting president has won Bryan County, which includes the southeastern Oklahoma city, three times, with each win by a wider margin than the last.
But it's also the heart of the Choctaw Nation, where the tribe's headquarters are.
And earlier this month, those worlds collided when the Republican National Committee chose to host a midterm election rally, including Trump himself, at the Choctaw Nation Event Center. Attendees ranged from Markwayne Mullin, a Cherokee citizen and Department of Homeland Security secretary, to Mike Mazzei, Republicans' pick for Oklahoma's next governor.
Tribes don't often rent out their facilities for political rallies. The Choctaw Nation's decision drew controversy.
Kelbie Kennedy, Choctaw citizen and former national tribal affairs advocate for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said the event is unprecedented.
"I have personally never seen my tribe host a political rally for any candidate or multiple candidates during my lifetime," Kennedy said. "Nothing to the level that we saw last week down in Durant where you had a whole ticket of one party's candidates giving political speeches at our biggest event center in Durant, right next to our nation's capital."
Chief Gary Batton and Assistant Chief Jack Austin Jr. attended. The former took a photo with the president and received a shoutout during the rally. The latter kicked off the event with a Christian prayer and welcomed Trump fans with the Choctaw greeting, "Halito."
But Choctaw Nation officials insist their attendance isn't partisan, nor is it an endorsement of GOP candidates.
Kennedy said, nonetheless, it could harm the tribe's national political image built on bipartisanship, a key strategy for tribes navigating the political system outside the reservation.
"If I was playing the smart political game, I would say it hurts us more as a nation than it helped us," Kennedy said. "... I know that my nation has worked very hard to build strong relationships on both sides of the aisle."
Choctaw Nation's decision comes ahead of next month's midterm and state elections, which have large implications for Oklahoma's slice of Indian Country.
'The impacts of the disputes through the court system are going to far exceed his tenure as a governor.'
In October 2022, the Five Tribes in Oklahoma made an unprecedented, calculated political move.
Tribal leaders from the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole and Muscogee Nations endorsed Democrat Joy Hofmeister for governor, marking what is regarded as the first major political endorsement the united tribes have ever made.
That's not necessarily because Hofmeister was a Democrat. Rather, her opponent was and continues to rank among the tribes' most significant political adversaries.
Gov. Kevin Stitt has repeatedly tussled with tribal governments for most of the last eight years. Since the historic McGirt ruling, which affirmed half of Oklahoma is Indian Country, Stitt has often chosen to litigate jurisdictional issues rather than negotiate with the sovereign nations.
Mel Fillmore, assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma's Native American Studies Department, said that approach becomes costly.
"It is very tenuous. The impacts of the disputes through the court system are going to far exceed his tenure as a governor," Fillmore said. "That is a strategy, but it is not necessarily a collaborative one. The courts is a means of exercising authority rather than choosing to facilitate an agreement."
Stitt is a Cherokee Nation citizen who was elected to the state's highest office twice. His first campaign was somewhat characterized by his Native ancestry.
Some tribes he would later spar with, including Cherokee, Chickasaw and Choctaw nations, even contributed to his initial campaign run.
Stitt is term-limited, which means he leaves office next January.
Next month, Oklahomans will decide their next governor. The race pits Democrat Cyndi Munson, Oklahoma House of Representatives minority leader, against the aforementioned Mazzei.
This time around, tribes have played it safe and generally haven't made any large political moves or formal endorsements. Choctaw Nation is the exception.
'I feel lied to. This is not a private entity hosting an event.'
Representatives for the Republican National Committee say Durant was chosen due to its proximity to the Oklahoma border, which meant Trump's rally could reach the Texas media market.
And that location was also designed to boost Mazzei's candidacy, who appeared in a televised, prerecorded debate with Munson at the same time as the RNC's event.
Mazzei shouted out the Choctaw Nation and its principal chief during his speech in Durant.
"Your commitment to family, culture and service reflects values that mean a great deal to me personally," Mazzei said. "Chief Batton, it's been a great honor and privilege to get to know you, and I'm incredibly excited and optimistic and look forward to some great collaborative work."
Kennedy said the event may have violated Choctaw law.
According to resolution CB-124-22, political candidates seeking statewide office can only use tribal facilities for a debate or town hall. In addition, all candidates for that office must be invited. Meanwhile, individuals seeking federal office require an invitation, must pay fees and must comply with Choctaw law.
"The trickier part here comes not with President Trump's visit to Choctaw Nation … He's not a candidate for office," Kennedy said. "The issue is when you have all of the other Republican candidates running for Oklahoma statewide office and federal office showing up to make speeches about why people should vote for them."
Batton released a statement saying the tribe rented out its facilities to a private organization, just like any other.
Kennedy disagrees.
"What I feel hurt and disappointed about is not that my tribal leadership had a Republican come visit us. That's not the part that upsets me," Kennedy said. "I feel lied to. This is not a private entity hosting an event. There is no exception in Choctaw law that I have found or that the general counsel of Choctaw Nation has sent to me that says, 'Here's an exception.'"
Kennedy said the event could signal political favoritism, whereas bipartisanship is key for tribes looking to build relationships.
KOSU reached out to the Choctaw Nation for an interview with Batton last week. He has not yet shared his availability.
'Tribes really do tend to focus their rhetoric particularly around issues.'
According to public records, tribes have donated to both Republicans and Democrats running in November's midterm elections. As of mid-September, tribes in Oklahoma invested more than $3.4 million into the ongoing federal election cycle. Republicans see the biggest share of that money, through political action committees and candidates directly.
But those candidates are largely incumbents. Only a select few are vying for open seats and even fewer are challengers.
About $1.2 million went to principal campaign committees and joint-fundraising committees linked to specific candidates, rather than to political action committees. Only around $37,000 went to non-incumbents.
Cherokee Nation is contributing to at least two challengers in Arizona and Alaska: former Navajo President Jonathan Nez and Mary Peltola. Both are Indigenous.
And other non-incumbents are running for open seats, like those being left by outgoing Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, and Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Al.
Meanwhile, the tribes have contributed at least $875,000 to Oklahoma's local and statewide elections, according to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission's Guardian System. Republicans, who control the state legislature by a supermajority, receive the largest share.
None of the tribes had donated to Mazzei as of mid-August, when he won the party primary against Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. Drummond on the other hand received $27,700 from tribal nations. By that point, Mazzei's Democratic opponent, Munson, had received $3,500 from the Cherokee Nation.
Fillmore said tribal nations aren't so focused on partisan politics.
"Tribes really do tend to focus their rhetoric particularly around issues," Fillmore said. "And so anything that requires co-management, co-governance or co-policy-making, the issues tend to be the focus."
Sovereignty is chief among them.
Shawnee Tribe Chief Ben Barnes said each tribe exercises that sovereignty differently during election seasons.
"(Batton) decided his nation would be a location for a rally for one of the political candidates. That is him exercising his sovereignty as a tribal nation," Barnes said. "Other tribal nations recognize our sovereignty by not endorsing a candidate … Every tribal nation has its own particular needs and its own sovereignty."
'The demographic group that Native peoples occupy in Oklahoma can change the course of elections'
Barnes said while the tribes differ in how they approach elections, they share a responsibility when it comes to voting.
"We need to do a better job of voter turnout within our own nations, because I think that's where it begins," Barnes said. "If you have somebody that's voting in your tribal election, I guarantee you that person is voting in a county, state and federal election."
In 2024, Oklahoma had the second-lowest voter turnout rate in the country, according to the University of Florida. This August, 29% of registered Republicans in Oklahoma voted in the party's runoff election.
Margo Gray, executive director of the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma, leads the organization's Warrior Up to Vote initiative. The program is designed to increase voter registration and encourage tribal members to participate in elections.
Gray said Native Americans, who make up around 13% of the state's population, have a vested interest in Oklahoma's future.
"This was Indian Territory long before it became the state of Oklahoma. It's home to 38 federally recognized tribes," Gray said. "We are just as invested in protecting these lands as any other Oklahoman. This is home to us."
Barnes said Indigenous voters could define the state's future.
"We need more people to participate," Barnes said. "And the demographic group that Native peoples occupy in Oklahoma can change the course of elections if we will just turn out and vote."
'Tribal issues are not a 'D' issue or an 'R' issue.'
Kennedy used to work for the National Congress of American Indians. There, she said she was given a piece of advice she still thinks about.
"'Tribal issues are not a 'D' issue or an 'R' issue. They're an 'I' issue. And the 'I' is for Indian,'" Kennedy said.
That advice has helped guide her career, she said, which is built on bipartisan communication. She said working across the aisle, along with tribal citizens' ability to vote, is the source of tribal political power.
"It's so important for us to be able to work across the aisle while also recognizing that there are tribal nations who need to put a stake in the ground to protect sacred sites," Kennedy said. "There are certain things that tribal nations will not bend on, our sovereignty being one of them."
