Indigenous Candidate Seeks Upset in Nevada’s Congressional District 2
Alejandra Rubio profiles Elizabeth Mercedes Krause, a teacher, trying to defeat longtime Republican incumbent Rep. Mark Amodei.
Elizabeth Mercedes Krause, an Oglala Lakota, is listening as she runs for Congress, to herself, to people close to her, and to people she meets on the campaign trail. She connects and reconnects as she had to do herself with her own past.
Growing up in Las Vegas, she says she always felt a loss of identity and wanted to find herself and her community. “My mom was adopted, I knew I was always Native, but I didn’t know my tribal community,” Krause said. “It was just something that was always there. I wanted to find my family. I knew that something was missing. I felt like a void.”
Krause’s mother was adopted before the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) became law. The legislation was passed in 1978 in response to a crisis affecting American Indian and Alaska Native children, as many Native children were being separated from their parents, families, and communities by state child welfare and private adoption agencies.
“No one knew about my mother until she was 50,” Krause said. “She stayed for two years in an orphanage. The first three years are your most influential years, and she spent the first two years in an orphanage. Now families want their relatives, and nations want their citizens to come home.”
After a rough start in trying to find an extended family, she successfully reunited with her mother’s family in California. Now she stays connected with her family and learns her language and culture. “My kids grew up knowing their culture, and they know more languages than me,” she said. “They dance as well. It’s a blessing.”
Not only was it her passion to find her self-identity and community, but she also had a second calling that would lead her to the path that she is now on.
“I have always known that I wanted to be a teacher,” Krause said. “I have this deep belief that with the promise of education that it holds, things can be right. I have that optimism, and I carry that with me. That’s why I am running.”
Krause earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in 2001. She earned her master’s degree in educational leadership from Concordia University in 2016. Krause is now pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership and policy.
Politically, Krause came to the forefront as a national delegate for Bernie Sanders two years ago, during his presidential run, which showed promise in Nevada early on in the primary process, but then faltered in southern states.
As chairwoman for the Nevada Native Caucus, Krause was amazed at how much of a large voter turnout there was within her community. She then joined the Advanced Native Political Leadership Program. During the program, she realized that she could help make a difference not only in Native country but also within her district in Northern Nevada.
“We live in an extremely diverse state, community, and country,” Krause said. “We need to have all these different lenses. We need all these different voices of experience, sharing, and giving input to make our community the way we want it.”
Krause wants to ensure access to high-quality education by bringing in more funding and tax credits for educators willing to move out to rural communities. As Nevada has ranked very low in education rankings, Krause wants to help change that by bringing awareness to what is going on within rural and city education systems. “I’ve heard from educators and administrators to ensure we put funding forward for rural and tribal housing for educators,” she said.
Another issue that most rural communities have is slow to no internet access, she said. The 2nd Nevada district is made up of the state’s capital Carson City, Churchill, Douglas, Elko, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Pershing, Storey, Washoe, White Pine counties and parts of Lincoln and Lyon counties, much of it rural. The district has about 60,000 more registered Republicans than registered Democrats, making it a challenge for blue candidates.
Krause is undeterred, running a campaign she believes in. This includes speaking about adequate care for Native seniors, on and off the reservation. “I had a conversation with some elders in a tribal community asking for a retirement home. I want more funding for retirement homes, services, and home care. Making sure that our elders are cared for, especially towards the end of life,” she said.
“I’m not going to ignore other urgent issues,” Krause concluded. “A lot of problems in rural and tribal communities are the same. We’re all one community.”
