In North Carolina CD 9, Robeson County and its Lumbee Indian Tribe made much of the difference for Republican candidate in Sept. 10, 2019 special election. Lumbee voters also made Trump the first Republican candidate to win Robeson County since 1972-News Observer, The Hill, Lumbee Tribal Council member

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In Robeson County, North Carolina, registered Democrats still outnumber Republicans 60% to 13%.” …9/12/19, “How GOP’s Dan Bishop beat McCready by a higher margin than 2018 race,” News Observer, Jim Morrill and McClatchy reporters…"Just 10 months ago [Nov. 2018], Democrat Dan McCready easily won Robeson County, racking up a margin of almost 5,000 votes [4728 exactly] in a county that hadn’t elected its first Republican until a few years ago [that being Trump in Nov. 2016 by +1746 over Hillary]. [“On the backs of Lumbee voters, Trump became the first Republican since 1972 to win Robeson County.”] But in Tuesday’s special 9th District congressional election, McCready barely edged Republican Dan Bishop in the county.”...10,524 McCready, 10,293 Bishop, +231 for the Democrat down from +4728 in Nov. 2018. Map, Robeson County

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North Carolina CD 9, NY Times map 

9/12/19, “Why my American Indian tribe voted Republican in NC’s special election," The Hill, by Jarrod Lowery, opinion contributor

“It may surprise analysts to know that my people, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, proved crucial to Bishop’s victory. 

They shouldn’t be surprised. The Lumbee are culturally conservative, church-going and entrepreneurial. And more and more of us are distressed by the leftward lurch of the Democratic Party. The preliminary election returns show that we helped deliver the election to Bishop…. 

The Lumbee make up a plurality of residents in Robeson County, located in the southeastern part of the district. In 2018 Democrat Dan McCready defeated Republican Mark Harris by some 4,700 votes in the county. On Tuesday, McCready beat Bishop by just 233 votes there, [a loss of 4467 votes for McCready] according to unofficial results posted by the North Carolina State Board of Elections.… 
  

[Image: Jarrod Lowery, Lumbee Tribal Council]

In Robeson precincts with at least 50 percent American Indian voter registration, McCready underperformed his 2018 totals. In the 35^th precinct, for instance, American Indian voters make up 90 percent of registered voters. McCready’s share of the vote dropped from 53 percent last year to 39 percent on Tuesday. In the 4th precinct, where American Indians make up 87 percent of voters, McCready’s support fell from 58 percent to 42 percent. 

Overall, McCready’s vote share dropped in all but two of the 14 majority-American Indian precincts. All told, McCready’s average in those precincts declined from 58 percent ten months ago to 47 [minus 11] percent on Tuesday. 

Meanwhile, in precincts where American Indians are not a majority of registered voters, McCready’s vote share dropped only five points, from 56 percent to 51 percent. How did this happen? 

Lumbee have historically voted Democratic. But that’s slowly changing. Lumbee are pro-life and pro-traditional marriage. We go to church and we have a healthy distrust of government. 

Many Lumbee feel that the national Democratic party has simply left them behind as they’ve embraced more extreme social and economic positions. We’re tired of Democratic policies that insult our faith and fail us economically. Democrats’ opposition to voter identification laws, support for abortion-on-demand and attacks on religious liberty have alienated many Lumbee. 

Locally, Robeson County has been dominated by Democrats since the post-Reconstruction era, and we have little to show for it. We consistently rank high in social ills and low in health and economic well-being. 

Bishop’s embrace of President Trump during the campaign helped him with Lumbee voters. On the backs of Lumbee voters, Trump became the first Republican since 1972 to win Robeson County. Trump won in 2016 in part because he campaigned against the free trade agreements that have devastated our communities. 

But Lumbee support cannot be guaranteed or taken for granted by either party. Any candidate who wants to win our votes must take the time to visit Lumbee Country, fight for Lumbee values and pull their weight in the 134-year struggle for full federal recognition. 

For decades Lumbees were told by their local leaders which candidates to vote for, and typically those candidates were Democratic. In Tuesday’s special election, many Lumbee broke with the tribal leaders to pull the lever for the Republican. 

Some Democrats look at the Lumbee as a minority group that’s supposed to vote in lock step with the liberal agenda. But Lumbee people are independent-minded and look beyond the color of a candidate’s skin or the letter next to their name. 

Lumbee are educators, ministers, business owners, farmers, soldiers, doctors, engineers, professional athletes and still hold on to the Lumbee way of life through our community and creator. We hold strong to the values of family and hard work. And at the moment, the Republican Party does a better job of respecting those values.” 

“Jarrod Lowery is a former U.S. Marine and current member of the Lumbee Tribal Council. He was a 2018 candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives in Robeson County.” [Lowery ran as a Republican and lost to the Democrat].





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