Three Affiliated Tribes Chairman Tex Hall is interested in running for a statewide office in North Dakota, perhaps Congress in 2006 or the governorship in 2008.

Hall said he was approached in April by Democrats about running for a statewide office, but he decided it was "too short notice." Even though most Indians vote Democratic, Hall said he doesn't align himself with either party, even though he's gotten considerable face time with prominent Democrats such as Gen. Wesley Clark and John Kerry. On Saturday, he'll meet with John Edwards in Fargo.

"I've been trying to meet with President Bush for four years and I haven't been able to," he said. "It's a matter of who's committed to developing a relationship with you."

But he said he's good friends with plenty of Republicans, too, including Colorado Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, who has urged him to run as a Republican. Hall will attend the upcoming Republican National Convention in New York City and said "friends in Washington are trying to get me on the agenda."

He said he gets tired of Republicans and Democrats bashing each other and might run a Jesse Ventura-like campaign as an independent.

"I've worked with both Democrats and Republicans … so I know the business. I know my way around."

Hall said he began getting "isolated support" for a campaign from people around the state last year, and "it's really growing now." He's still mulling over another run at a four-year term as tribal chairman.

Or, he said, maybe he'll get asked to take an "administrative spot" in a Kerry administration. But if asked, he would only accept if it were high enough to make a difference - "it can't be just filing paper," he said.

"That's also speculation," he said. "That might spoil all these plans. What's wrong with Tex Hall being a cabinet-level position?"

The director of the state Democratic party, Vern Thompson, said Democrats talked to Hall about whether he'd be interested in running for statewide office, but Hall was concentrating on getting out 1 million Indian votes in the November election.

State GOP director Jason Stverak said he didn't know of any Republicans who had talked to Hall about running for a specific office, but he said some individuals may have. He said the party has reached out to Hall and other Indian leaders nationwide to discuss election and voting issues.

"I don't know of anyone who has, but obviously Mr. Hall is a leader in his community, in this state and this nation and would be someone that would naturally be considered to run for office, along with other Native American leaders across this state," Stverak said.

Hall said he's already busy wearing two hats, as chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes and as chairman of the National Congress of American Indians. He is serving his second term as tribal chairman, which ends in 2006, and his second term as chairman of the NCAI. He'll reach his term limit with the Indian Congress in 2005 and would have to wait two years to run again.

Hall said if he runs for Congress or governor, he would continue to work on issues that are important to American Indians.

"I think far too long in North Dakota there's never been one North Dakota," Hall said. "We're too small to be separate. We need to be united. I think I bring that kind of a fresh vision."

Indian Country Today said if Hall runs, he would be the "first Native candidate in the northern Plains to seek a major party nomination for governor, let alone take the office."

(Reach Deena Winter at 250-8251 or deena.winter@bismarcktribune.com.)