Montana Election 2008

Juneau Wins Office of Public Instruction, a First

By Robert Struckman , 11-04-08

At midnight, when it appeared Denise Juneau had won Superintendent of Public Instruction in Montana in Tuesday’s election, she was poised to become the first Native American to win a statewide executive level position in Montana.

“As an American Indian, the Montana voters didn’t pigeon-hole us, put is into one category,” Juneau said. “It was based on who was qualified. It’s very heartening, and it’s significant to Montana right now.”

On a night when voters mostly handed Montana’s statewide races to Democrats—even as voters seemed to split their votes down the ticket on legislative races— the state embraced this first with only a touch of fanfare and controversy.

In the past few weeks, Juneau’s opponent and others raised her Native heritage in a negative light, suggesting on the radio that she was unqualified for anything but teaching Native kids. Yet the racially charged talk appeared to have little or no effect on the overall vote count, as Juneau commanded a significant lead with 80 percent of the vote counted.

Mostly, Juneau’s heritage hasn’t been a factor in the face at all.

“It’s been pretty good, all positive,” said Juneau. On Tuesday, she waited as the votes were counted, with some trepidation. “I got a little bit nervous, but I’m sitting pretty good, I think.”

“It’s a good day for America and the state,” Juneau added.

Juneau plans to take a couple days off and will return to work at the Office of Public Instruction on Monday, where she heads the Indian Education for All effort.

“I want to ensure we give a quality education to every student in the state. I want to advocate on behalf of all the students in our state. I want to make sure our public schools have flexibility, that we’re not so punitive, and that we bring back a level of learning to our schools. No Child Left Behind has been devastating to our teachers and schools. We’re going to get back to the idea that there is good in public education, rather than beat it up all the time,” Juneau said.

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