Heitkamp Announces Diane Johnson as new Native American Director
Mandan, N.D.—Former North Dakota attorney general and current U.S. Senate Candidate Heidi Heitkamp, today announced that Diane Johnson had agreed to join her campaign and has been named Native American Director. Diane began working out of the campaign headquarters in Mandan this week.
“I have seen too many instances of politicians paying lip service to Indian Country or ignoring it altogether,” said Johnson. “With Heidi, her respect for the culture and the sovereign rights of the tribes and her devotion to addressing longstanding issues in Indian Country like the lack of affordable housing, domestic violence, education, and healthcare, are genuine and made it clear to me that she will be a true advocate and partner to Indian Country when she is Washington.”
Said Heitkamp, “Diane has an intimate knowledge of the issues facing Indian Country in North Dakota, it as an honor to have someone with her background and experience join the campaign. I am completely committed to working with the tribes here in North Dakota, and having someone of Diane’s caliber working on my team will further enhance my ability to reach out to and partner with the tribes in working to resolve many the difficult challenges that they continue to face on an off the reservations.”
An enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes, Johnson was most recently employed as a Program Analyst for the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians in Albuquerque, NM. Prior to her time in New Mexico, Johnson worked as Legal Counsel for the Three Affiliated Tribes in New Town, ND and as a US Probate Judge for the Department of the Interior in Bismarck, ND.
After earning a Bachelors degree in Political Science from Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, Johnson earned a law degree from the University of Denver.
Johnson has two grown children, Lindsey Hale and Rocky Avery, and has four grandchildren, Brayden, Amaya, Julius, and Isabella.
About Heidi:
Today, as a director of the Dakota Gasification synfuels plant, she’s a champion for North Dakota’s energy industry. Heidi believes we need to use all of North Dakota’s rich energy resources wisely, creating and keeping high-paying jobs right here. Heidi says it’s time to put country first, put politics aside and work together to cut government spending, balance the budge, create jobs and get our economy back on track- while protecting North Dakotans.
Heidi lives in Mandan with her husband, Dr. Darwin Lange, a family practitioner. They have two grown children, Ali and Nathan.
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