In the United States, there are 574 Native American Tribes recognized by the federal government spread across more than 30 states. Within states, there are individually recognized tribes that deliver unique contributions to their respective governments at the state level. 

You can view the full list for both right here. 

And while an expansive list surely merits adequate representation at the federal level, unfortunately, both legislative chambers on Capitol Hill suffer from grave underrepresentation of the overall diversity of tribes in the United States. 

In all, Native American lawmakers in the Senate amount to zero out of one hundred total in the U.S. Senate, while in the House of Representatives, there are five Native American Representatives in a body of 435. 

Most recently, Alaska elected its first member to the House of Representatives in the U.S. Senate in 2022, defeating Republican contender and previous Governor Sarah Palin. 

Who are they? The list below ranks each member in order of their elected term and will include resigned members who continue their work in government.

Name: Tom Cole

Tribe: Chickasaw

Political party: Republican

Term: Elected in January 2003, Incumbent

State: Oklahoma

Name: Markwayne Mullin

Tribe: Cherokee

Political party: Republican

Term: Elected January 2013, Incumbent

State: Oklahoma

Name: Sharice Davids

Tribe: Ho-Chunk

Political party: Democratic

Term: Elected January 2019

State: Kansas

Name: Deb Haaland

Tribe: Laguna Pueblo

Political party: Democratic

Term: elected January 2019, Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Interior

State: New Mexico

Name: Yvette Herrell

Tribe: Cherokee

Political party: Republican

Term: Elected January 2021

State: New Mexico

Name: Mary Peltola

Tribe: Yup’ik

Political party: Democratic

Term: Elected September 2022

State: Alaska