ICYMI: Rep Tschida Has Made This Racist and Inaccurate Claim About Native Representation Before
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 31, 2022
CONTACT
press@montanademocrats.org
Tschida claims that Native Americans Are Overrepresented in MT Leg
Helena, MT – At Friday’s Districting and Apportionment Commission hearing, GOP Rep. Brad Tschida incorrectly stated that it wasn’t “fair” that Native Americans are supposedly “overrepresented” in the Montana Legislature.
This is not the first time he’s made this racist and non-factual argument.
The first time he claimed that Native Americans are overrepresented in the Montana legislature was during the congressional districting hearingson November 4th, 2021. “Also tribal members are disproportionately represented in the Montana Legislature,” he said then.
The second time was this Friday, August 26th, 2022, at the Districting and Apportionment Commission hearing in Missoula. Rep. Tschida claimed, incorrectly, that Native populations in the state were overrepresented in the legislature. “I’ve yet to hear somebody from my side of the aisle complain about that,” Tschida said. “It is true that they are overrepresented in the legislature. Is that fair? I would say no…”
On Tuesday, August 30th, 2022, Rep. Brad Tschida joined the zoom to continue to push his claim, arguing incorrectly that, with only 6% of the state identifying as Native, 8% of legislators being Native qualifies as overrepresentation.
According to the 2020 Census, which the Commission uses as the source for legislative redistricting, 100,578 people identified as American Indian or Alaskan Native across the state of Montana. That's 9.3% of the total population of Montana.
"‘Overrepresented’ is a term Brad Tschida has now used at three public hearings when discussing his Native colleagues in the Montana Legislature. The Commission members, including one whom Tschida himself appointed, are listening and watching,” says Sheila Hogan, executive director of the Montana Democratic Party. “What is his purpose of repeating, inaccurately, that Montana's largest minority population in the state is "overrepresented"? These outlandish statements have real consequences, and it’s irresponsible to think otherwise.”
Words matter. And spreading misinformation about Native representation in the Montana Legislature at redistricting hearings has consequences. The Republican Districting Commission members have put forward maps that will reduce the number of Native Representatives, reduce the number of majority-minority legislative districts in Montana, and configure reservation communities in a way that dilutes Native votes.
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