Gubernatorial Candidate Lora Hubbel calls Dem. State Senator Troy Heinert “Pocahontas,” claims he’s “a Dutchman pretending to be an Indian.”

It seems we have a morning every once in a while where we find ourselves going “Oh God. Lora Hubbel really did that,” and we’re recoiling in horror over her saying something horribly insane or horribly offensive. Or as we’re finding this morning, both.

This morning, courtesy of GOP Candidate for Governor Lora Hubbel, some racism to kick off the Christmas Holiday:

SD’s Pocahontas – the man is a Dutchman pretending to be an Indian”  Jesus wept. She’s trying to insinuate he isn’t Native American?

He is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux tribe, lives on the Rosebud Indian reservation, and represents them in the legislature. I’m a Republican, and anyone besides Lora can easily say that there’s nothing false about his heritage.

South Dakota Republicans should not have to apologize for the horrible things Lora Hubbel has a tendency to say.  Especially in cases such as this. It’s indefensible.

Hubbel needs to abandon running for Governor on the Republican ticket now.  Not tomorrow, not after petitions are gathered.  She needs to leave the race now.

34 thoughts on “Gubernatorial Candidate Lora Hubbel calls Dem. State Senator Troy Heinert “Pocahontas,” claims he’s “a Dutchman pretending to be an Indian.””

  1. Hubbel is an embarrassment to GOP, Independents and Constitution parties….or whichever one she belongs to this week…rich she is claiming someone is not who they appear to be as she grabs any line on a ballot she can.

    1. Lora Hubbel is an embarrassment to all of South Dakota. Sadly, there is nothing anyone could possibly say to her to get her to change her ways or to drop out of the race. She simply isn’t smart enough to realize that nobody takes her seriously. The only reason people pay any attention to her is to see what stupid thing she will say or do next.

      Lora is less likely to be elected Governor than Cory Heidelberger is to become a Republican.

      1. Just watch somebody will be calling Lora a racist just like they do Trump. This is going to get good. I think I am going to share this one Pat.

    2. She is trying to make a point. Ask the Indian people what they think of Heinert voting against the Indian kids.

  2. Speaking of offensive: using “Oh God” and “Jesus wept” as epithets are offensive to me.

    That said, if he is enrolled in the tribe due to his ethnicity I’m not sure where she is hanging her hat on this one; I don’t know him, and I assume that is why he is enrolled in the tribe as I don’t think you are allowed to be a tribe member unless you are of Native American ancestry. Again, I thought the point of utilizing Twitter and FB if you are running for office is to garner support not make yourself look stupid.

  3. Although I’d miss watching the train wreck, I agree, she should drop out immediately. But as someone said above, she’s not smart enough to realize she has zero chance. Cue Tara….

    1. DROP OUT? Not a chance, she is not a quitter. Somebody has to stick up for the Indian people and fix the corruption on and off the Reservations.

      1. And I’m sure they appreciate being told how Native American they are or aren’t. (That’s sarcasm by the way)

      1. You must be an admirer of his Access Hollywood tape, huh? And don’t have a problem with him calling out a Federal Judge just because of his ethnicity, huh?

    1. Nope. Trump kicks ass. Cut taxes. Boldly moved the Embassy in Israel, and then told the UN to go pound sand. Unleashed our military against ISIS which didn’t take long to defeat. Made the Norks back down. Is closing down the bureaucracies. Hell yeah.

      1. You mean he chases it, cuts taxes for the rich, exacerbates the MiddleEast, makes us look like fools at the UN with only a handful of countries of limited significance backing our position (Do you remember the “Coaltion of the Willing?”), continues the fight against ISIS, which Obama started, has emboldened the NK, is only opposed to the “administrative state” to the degree he can’t use it to his advantage, and is in the back pocket of Putin, a former KGB agent.

        1. Who was in the back pocket of Putin? Was it the POTUS who said to President Medvedev: “This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.” What’s happening with the Mueller investigation, do you have any updates? How about Uranium One? I watched CNN for 14hrs and not once did they mention this situation.

          Trump cut taxes for me too and I’m not rich. That $80 is going to help our family tremendously and the “trickle down” is taking place with major corporations. Why? Because they want to reward their employees, not screw them.

          Nikki Haley rocked that room of globalists. Why do we pay them to be insulted? We give the most foreign aid and what do they do with it but piss it away. We give $100 million to Zimbabwe every year in health and development aid. Who runs that country? A dictator. America will remember.

          1. Oh, you want to talk Uranium One, or should we say the nothing burger Benghazi investigation for 2018. Last I checked, Hillary wasn’t President, but its interesting the GOP all a sudden takes an interest in this issue, when Muellers investigation is right outside the White House gates…. And trust me, Obama was never a stool pigeon for the Russians, but Trump is….

            Under current law your $ 80 disappears in 2025, but wait a minute I thought Senator Thune said that middle income families were going to get $ 2200…. $ 80 ain’t no $ 2200 (double negative?). Oh, and good luck with your “trickle-down” dreams…. I guess a guy has to dream from time to time, huh?

            Nikki Haley made America look bad. Her comments proved that America is currently being held hostage by a Putin stool pigeon.

            If you think Hubbel is an embarrassment, you really cannot say that without including the Donald of Orange, too!

  4. Hello All, I was sent a link to this page and I usually wouldn’t respond to such rubbish but this has gone to far. My name is Troy Heinert and I am a proud member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, my enrollment number is 345U37928. My parents are Margo Heinert and the late Harold Heinert. My mother is Dutch and my father was Lakota and German who lived his entire life on the Rosebud Reservation on the same land that has been passed down through our family since the original allotment act that established Reservations for Lakota’s. My 87 year old Lakota grandmother still lives on this place and would be ashamed that there are still people in our State that show that kind of ignorance and racism towards her own blood. I have lived most of my life on the reservation except from 1985-1991, after my father died of cancer at 35 (I was 12), my family had moved to Pierre. Immediately after high school I moved back to the Reservation to my grandmas’ ranch and have been here ever since. I married a Lakota woman and we have 3 Lakota children and 1 Lakota grandchild.

    I have often talked about being an iyeska (mixed blood) and what that experience has been like. I walk in both worlds and I try to use these experiences to teach my children about what it means to be a modern day Lakota while maintaining our cultural identity and language. I also try to educate my colleagues on the issues of Reservation life and the history of our culture in present day South Dakota.

    I do not know Ms. Hubbel but I know her kind. Her and her supporters idea that somehow by name calling furthers their agenda and deflects from the facts that they are wrong. Most of them have never nor will never spend anytime on a Reservation nor have any idea of Native people other than their stereotypical idea of what a Native is. They do not know how we speak, pray, live, or interact but they have no problem telling us that we are doing it all wrong and that they have our best interests at heart. That’s the equivalent of me going to Tabor and telling them what to do for Czech Days and when they disagree I’ll call them names, what a joke! Anyone can criticize me on a vote or my position but to criticize my genetic makeup is veiled attempt at oppression of a Native person in order to diminish their work. I find her comments racist and offensive and should not be coming from anyone, let alone someone trying to be the Governor of a State with 9 Reservations and over 100,000 Natives in it.

    I know many of my Republican friends do not agree with statements that come from people like this and I appreciate you being able so see through this charade. We have a word in Lakota that describes people like this, unsikayapo, it translates to “have pity for them.” I will be praying for Ms. Hubbel and those like her at our next sweat ceremony. They need our compassion especially in this Christmas season. If anyone else has any questions I can be reached at 319-6570.
    Pila’mayapalo (Thank You)
    Senator Troy Heinert, Sung Wakan Obiyanka (Runs with Horses)
    Ho Hetcatuyelo (I Have Spoken)

    1. As a Republican, I appreciate your response as much as I DON’T appreciate the mindless prattle coming from Lora Hubbel. Don’t worry, you won’t be working in Pierre with a “Governor Hubbel”.

      Thank you.

  5. I too appreciate your response, and also assure you that you don’t need to worry about a Governor Hubbel. She certainly doesn’t speak for me, and while there are a few that may agree with her, most of the state sees she’s loony.

  6. Let’s everybody play the race card. Great way to divert attention away from real issues.

    1. Tara, please stop trying to deflect. Lora owns her comments part and parcel. Lora directly claimed Senator Heinert is “a Dutchman pretending to be an Indian.” Who does that?

      Republicans and Democrats can disagree on a lot. But this kind of statement is pretty low, even for Lora.

      1. Here’s the deal Pat, I don’t want to speak for Lora, but my interpretation is this, Lora called him Pocahontas because he is using his one quarter Indian blood, or whatever he is to advance his agenda or political career. Protecting the establishment does not ride well with SD Indians and non-Indians. To me, that’s what’s offensive. Pat do you think it is offensive when President Trump calls Elisabeth Warren Pocahontas?

    2. The real issue here is that Lora has proven once again that she’s not fit to be Governor. Or anything else.

      1. Because she is calling Heinert out? I think that shows great qualifications to be Governor. Jon should not play the race card. play the issue card. How is victimization working for the Tribes Jon? Throwing money at the problem in not the answer.

  7. What is a low blow is to have a conflicting vote over whether or not to investigate GEARUP. There are an abundance of allegations that need cleansing light shined on. Both Warren and Heinert demonstrate the debilitating US Policy labeling Indigenous People of this continent and DOMESTIC DEPENDENTS. These types of people hide within deflections because the art of exposing their conflict is lost in entitlement thinking. Heinert uses entitlement thinking to cast a conflicting vote involving his relatives and tribal identity as a shield to keep corruption from being identified. If there is nothing to hide then let an investigation find that out to the benefit of those alleged with wrongdoing and conscience of all South Dakota Citizens, including those on reservations. The only right we have is the right to be responsible. Having two South Dakota’s as Heinert describes is akin to Janus the two faced god. How can the past and future be gazed upon without also gazing upon the present. After all, Heinert has been provided lawful opportunity to vote in affairs effecting South Dakota Citizens but no citizen of South Dakota devoid of “tribal connectivity” can hold vote over affairs of any of the nine “reservations” he elaborated about. The past and present collide without resolve to present. The present is calling for investigation of GEARUP without smugness of vote rife with conflict. It’s a low blow for a committee chairman to act in conflict and low blow for partisanship to fall along racial lines or strong-armed along the seam of racial lines. This does not serve South Dakota as a whole. If necessary, I’ll save a copy of this statement for publishing were freedom of speech prevails.

  8. Warren – Great statement, it shows us more of what’s happening behind the curtain. Thanks for adding to the conversation. Identity politics and entitlement programs are crushing people’s desire to provide for their families and the fight to keep their families together. If the govt can take care of me & my children, why do I need my partner? The govt does not care about us, they only want to keep a strangle hold on our dependency and take our money.

    “The only right we have is the right to be responsible.” This thinking doesn’t exist for Leftists, it’s not allowed to exist, because the entitlement thinking pushes personal responsibility away.

    “Having two South Dakota’s as Heinert describes”…this thinking adds to the division of all SDakotans. It’s a poison, a cancer and continues to destroy our ability to reach common ground.

    Do you think Heinert should step down because there’s a conflict of interest as Hubbel suggests? I agree, the investigation needs to continue both on and off the rez. If someone is blocking that from happening, one might think there is a red-flag reason for that.

    I do wonder why Heinert statement didn’t address the issue. As I appreciate what he said, it is littered with identity politics and as you describe…entitlement thinking.

Comments are closed.