Native American House candidate praises Warren: ‘I join her in celebrating her ancestry’

New Mexico Democratic House candidate Deb Haaland (D), who is seeking to become the first Native American woman elected to Congress, commended Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Monday for sharing the results of a DNA test that showed the senator has Native American ancestry.

“Senator Elizabeth Warren’s DNA test confirms the family history she has long shared with the world, and I acknowledge her Native ancestry as testament to who we are as Americans,” Haaland said in a statement. “The oppression that Native people have experienced over the course of our history caused many Native American families to deny their heritage, language, and culture, and I understand why this was the case with her family.

{mosads}”The revelation of Senator Warren’s Native American ancestry is significant for her personally, and I join her in celebrating this ancestry,” she added.

Senator Warren has been a sister in the struggle for years for Indigenous peoples’ rights, and for all of us who weren’t born into the top 1%. The revelation of Senator Warren’s Native American ancestry is significant for her personally, and I join her in celebrating her ancestry

— Deb Haaland (@Deb4CongressNM) October 15, 2018

A member of the Pueblo of Laguna Tribe, Haaland is poised to become the first Native American woman elected to Congress. She previously served as the leader of the Democratic Party in New Mexico.

Haaland won a primary in June in the state’s 1st Congressional District. She is running to replace Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), who is running for governor.

Haaland praised Warren hours after the potential 2020 presidential candidate released the results of a DNA test showing she has a distant Native ancestor. She unveiled the results in a video that featured remarks from her family members in Oklahoma, as well as past employers.

She provided the results to a renowned genealogist, who determined that the results “strongly support” Warren had a Native American ancestor, likely six to 10 generations ago.

President Trump and his supporters have long derided Warren over her claim of Native American roots, with the president calling her “Pocahontas” at rallies and White House events and suggesting she lied about her heritage to gain advantages.

Trump dismissed the test results on Monday morning, telling reporters, “Who cares?”

He went on to claim he never said he would donate $1 million to a charity of Warren’s choosing if she took a DNA test, even though he made that pledge during a July campaign rally in Montana. 

“I will give you a million dollars, to your favorite charity, paid for by Trump, if you take the test and it shows you’re an Indian,” Trump said at the time. “I have a feeling she will say ‘no.'”

In a series of tweets on Monday, Warren called on Trump to pay the $1 million to a charity that benefits Native American women who are victims of sexual violence and violent crimes.