Faith Spotted Eagle

Faith Spotted Eagle ( or , , ; born 1948) is an American activist and politician. She is a citizen of the Yankton Sioux Tribe who attempted to block development of the Keystone XL pipeline and the Dakota Access Pipeline.

In the 2016 presidential election, she became the first Native American to receive an electoral vote for President of the United States as well as one of the first two women of 3 total to receive one. Spotted Eagle's single vote came from Robert Satiacum Jr., a faithless elector in Washington, who cast it for her instead of Hillary Clinton.

Background Spotted Eagle is from the village of White Swan, now beneath of water at the bottom of Lake Francis Case — an artificial reservoir created by the Fort Randall Dam. She still lives in the area at nearby Lake Andes, South Dakota. She attended the American University in Washington, D.C., and Black Hills State College in Spearfish, South Dakota, and holds an MA in Educational Psychology and Counseling from the University of South Dakota. Her time as a student included an internship for then-senator George McGovern.

Career

Activism Spotted Eagle has been a private consultant in PTSD counseling for veterans, a school counselor and principal, and a Dakota language teacher at Sinte Gleska College. chair of the Ihanktonwan Treaty Committee, and the manager of Brave Heart Lodge in Lake Andes

Politics

2006 state house candidacy

Spotted Eagle ran for a seat in the South Dakota House of Representatives in 2006 for the 21st district, which comprises Brule, Buffalo, Charles Mix, Jones, and Lyman counties. She placed 3rd in the Democratic Party primary out of three candidates, receiving 735 votes overall. Spotted Eagle won the most votes of any candidate in majority-Native American Buffalo County. She had been convinced to run for the seat, but did not actively campaign. Satiacum explained that Clinton had failed Native Americans, especially regarding the pipeline issue.

Spotted Eagle said that she was surprised when she learned that she received this vote. She said she hoped the vote would increase awareness of the environmental dangers of the Keystone XL project, and that she was now considering running for state office.

Spotted Eagle is the first Native American to receive an Electoral College vote for President (though not the first to receive an electoral vote overall, as Charles Curtis received a majority of electoral votes to become Vice President in 1928), and she and Hillary Clinton are the first two women to receive an electoral vote for president. She lost the Democratic primary, coming in third for total votes behind Brian Jorgensen and Anna Kerner Andersson. Brian Jorgensen withdrew before the general election however, placing Spotted Eagle back in the race. Ultimately, she did not garner enough votes to win the general election, coming behind Anna Kerner Anderson who in turn came behind the two Republicans who won both seats, Lee Qualm (incumbent) and Caleb Finck.