Former Ute Mountain Ute Tribe chairman Manuel Heart said he is personally endorsing U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper’s campaign for reelection, citing the senator’s consistent support for key tribal priorities.
Heart served in tribal leadership for 27 years and said he worked closely with Hickenlooper during much of that time.
Hickenlooper’s campaign has reportedly raised $1.4 million this year, with $4 million cash on hand, as he faces several Democratic challengers in the June 30 primary.
“I’m supporting his run for Senate again, he’s really helped out the Ute tribe in different areas: education, law enforcement, our water,” Heart said. “This has helped us get some funding for our programs and our tribal members as a whole.”
The endorsement comes as the tribe continues navigating decades-old water agreements while relying on federal funding for major infrastructure projects, from school facilities to water pipeline upgrades.
The Ute Mountain Ute reservation spans nearly 600,000 acres across three states, creating challenges in managing resources such as water access and law enforcement coverage.
Heart said federal support for tribes overall “isn’t looking good,” warning broader funding cuts could be on the horizon.
While serving as chairman, Heart said he focused on building relationships with state and federal officials, which helped establish trust and move projects forward.
“I think I’ve done a great three decades of work, but now I’m just a regular citizen and only speak for myself. As a former chairman, I personally endorse Hickenlooper to continue advocating for Indian tribes, especially the two tribes in Colorado,” Heart said.
Heart has also worked closely with U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet. Rep. Jeff Hurd recently recognized Heart during a ceremony at the Ute Mountain Casino for decades devoted to public service.
“We are in a very challenging time right now, and things are really focusing on the war. I don’t think the war is in our best interest,” Heart said. “We need really good strong advocates in Congress. Tribes really need to come up as one voice too who look out for the short-term, long-term goals for the future of our kids.”
Hickenlooper previously helped negotiate roughly $23 million to expand high-speed broadband and fiber-optic infrastructure to homes in the Towaoc and White Mesa communities, funding made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
In 2024, Hickenlooper and Bennet also secured $7.5 million for a multiphase municipal water project. The funding replaced failing pipelines along Towaoc’s 22-mile main line, the sole pipeline carrying water from the Cortez Treatment Center. Additional upgrades are planned, and the tribe has applied for a $4 million grant to fund the project’s third phase.
Heart said Hickenlooper has also been vocal on the tribe’s behalf regarding shortcomings of the Animas-La Plata project, where thousands of acre-feet of water owned by the tribe in Lake Nighthorse remain inaccessible. The primary obstacle, Heart said, is the lack of a delivery system that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
In March, Hickenlooper, Bennet and Hurd urged federal officials to assess law enforcement needs on the Ute Mountain reservation amid ongoing safety concerns.
Lawmakers said the tribe faces limited policing resources across its vast footprint, with only a few officers covering the area. The reservation’s remote geography contributes to slow response times, and officials warned violent crime could increase without additional staffing and resources.
“We got cameras put up, so we record if a vehicle is coming through and if they wanted to investigate it that way. That really helped out law enforcement on that side,” Heart said.
Heart said both Hickenlooper and Bennet have visited Kwiyagat Community Academy, the tribe’s charter school and the first public charter school on Native American land in Colorado.
The school received a four-year charter through the Colorado Charter School Institute and has expanded by one grade level since opening in 2021. Enrollment now exceeds the building’s capacity. While the tribe has selected a new site and completed designs for a K-12 campus and career training facilities, limited funding has stalled construction.
“We can become self-sufficient but we can’t start it if we don’t have any seed money to get things started in a way,” Heart said.
awatson@the-journal.com
