A former U.S. Justice Department attorney will soon launch the first national group dedicated to putting more American Indians in local, state and national political offices.

"This has been a dream of mine for more than a dozen years," Kaylyn Free said. "I'm walking proof that there's a new day in politics."

The Indigenous Democratic Network - also known as INDN's List - will debut officially Feb. 28 in Washington. The grass-roots political group's goal is to finance, recruit and train a new generation of Indian leaders for elected positions.

Its main office is in Tulsa, Okla., and Free plans to open offices, or put liaisons, in states with significant Indian populations, including Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Free, a Choctaw, is no stranger to politics. The 41-year-old had the support of 117 tribes in her 2004 bid for an Oklahoma congressional seat. She lost the race to the son of a former governor in what was among the most expensive political campaigns in the state's history.

The group's Web site - http://www.indnslist.org - states that "only when Indians are involved in the political process are they truly represented. When Indians make law and policy, the needs of Indian Country and all those less fortunate, are not ignored."

Her group is modeled after the political action networks MoveOn.org and Emily's List.

Free said she expects sound financial support to play a role getting Indians elected to public office. She describes herself as a "prolific fund-raiser," and her database already includes 20,000 potential donors, including 13,000 individuals. The group and its goals have met with resounding support from tribal leaders, Free said.

"I can see where INDN's List is sorely needed, particularly at the local level where there are a lot of challenges to get non-Natives to understand our society," said Eugene Little Coyote, chairman of Montana's Northern Cheyenne Tribe.

For example, his tribal council passed a resolution Monday in which it plans to investigate court sentencing of Indian people in Rosebud County, Mont. "This is one of those cases where we're being discriminated against," Little Coyote said. "If we were to have more representation in local government, including sheriffs and whatnot, we would see that discrimination dissipate."

Free began casting a wide net long ago to bring Indian candidates into the pipeline. Among them is Irene Folstrom, an Ojibwe from the Leech Lake Reservation in Minnesota, who may run for a state Senate seat.

"I'm still exploring that option, like many Native Americans, post- 2004 elections … with the success we saw in some races, it really has spurred a lot of excitement among Indian people. We should be electing our own people to office to represent ourselves at the state and local level."

(Reach reporter Jodi Rave at 406-523-5299 or jodi.rave@missoulian.com.)