Throughout American history Indians have never been high on the list of priorities when it comes to electoral politics. That is (arguably), until gaming infused money into certain segments of Indian country and filtered its way into the campaign coffers of key politicians, or became a flashpoint for politicians to rally around as a way to demand taxes from tribes, boosting their popularity with voters. Either way, over two centuries after the founding of the US and Indians are still controversial.
Still, things are different now and presidential candidates must have a Native American agenda in their campaign platforms, not only because of tribal financial influence, but also because Native Americans are a viable voting block. Recently, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama both addressed the Native American media by answering questions from Indian Country Today Media Network (Indian country's premier news source), something that ICTMN reported had never been done before. Obama's record on Indian affairs speaks for itself; he's generally been an ally to tribal nations, as most of his Democratic predecessors. Indians have learned that they can rely on Democrats far more than Republicans to advocate for them. Knowing this, Romney acknowledged a Republican administration's need "to foster a culture of collaboration and respect."
Republicans have a history of being antagonistic toward Native American agendas. Oddly enough, however, Native Americans look back to Richard Nixon as having been one of the most important allies in history (which you can read about here), implementing the current policy of self-determination. Thanks in large part to Nixon's influence, Republicans like Romney (and in the past even George W. Bush) must engage the language of tribal sovereignty and nation-to-nation relationships. That said, all is not hearts and flowers, considering Romney's dedication to the Keystone XL Pipeline (which Native nations by and large oppose), but at least we've come a long way from the days when Republicans terminated Indians.