Native Americans remained largely Democratic in election, but need the party's attention to get them to turn out

African American Research Collaborative poll

"Native Americans remained solidly Democratic in their voting preferences in 2022, though slightly lower than we observed in 2020," write a Brookings Institution fellow and writer. Gabriel R. Sanchez and Raymond Foxworth cite a 2022 midterm voter election poll conducted by the African American Research Collaborative: "In House races across the country, Native Americans supported Democratic candidates at 56% relative to 40% of Native Americans who reported voting for Republicans. . . . This modest shift in voting behavior is consistent with the historic movement away from the incumbent party in off-year elections and was not large enough to help a red wave materialize in 2022."

Some Native American votes can be explained by the off-year election trends and the poll's detail that Native American voting followed party lines; however, it also represents Native American support for  President Biden. "Regarding presidential approval, although Native American voters approve of the job President Biden is doing at a higher rate than white voters (+11%), they were more likely to disapprove than voters from other communities of color—47% among Native American voters," Sanchez and Foxworth report.

The poll shows that parties did not actively engage with Native American voters when compared to 2018 activity and, "reveals that Native Americans were less likely to be contacted by a candidate, party, or civic organization than other communities of color, " they write. "Although this is low for all of these groups considering that they are most likely to be on contact lists for candidates and parties, it is a reminder that without higher investment in tribal communities, we will not see this sub-group of the larger electorate turn out and engage in federal elections at high rates."