Politics
Crane Holds On in Arizona's 2nd District as Democrats Surge Statewide
Republican Rep. Eli Crane survived the closest race of his career, edging former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez by just 1.2 points and fewer than 4,000 votes, even as Democrats flipped two House seats and won control of the Arizona Legislature for the first time since 1966.
PHOENIX â Republican U.S. Rep. Eli Crane has won reelection in Arizona's 2nd Congressional District, narrowly defeating Democratic challenger Jonathan Nez in a rematch that proved far tighter than their first contest two years ago.
The Associated Press called the race Monday. Crane took 49.7% of the vote to Nez's 48.5%, a margin of fewer than 4,000 ballots.
Crane, a former Navy SEAL first elected in 2022, represents a sprawling district that includes Prescott and Flagstaff, stretches across much of northeastern Arizona and takes in several tribal nations, including the Navajo Nation. He is a Trump-endorsed member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
Nez, a former Navajo Nation president, lost to Crane by nine percentage points in 2024. This time he came within striking distance, capitalizing on a political environment that proved brutal for Republicans across Arizona and the country.
Voters went to the polls amid widespread dissatisfaction over the economy, the cost of living and U.S. involvement in the Iran war â headwinds that helped Democrats win control of Congress and make historic gains in Arizona. The party flipped two U.S. House seats and won control of the Legislature, giving Democrats their first trifecta in the state since 1966.
Even in reliably red districts, Republicans saw their margins collapse. GOP Rep. Abe Hamadeh won his race by less than three percentage points after carrying the seat by 13 points in 2024. Former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, running for the seat held by retiring GOP Rep. Andy Biggs, won by three points â a seat Biggs had won by 21 points two years earlier.
Crane's survival, then, stands out as one of the few bright spots for Arizona Republicans on an otherwise bleak night. But the narrow result in a district long considered safe for the GOP signals that even entrenched incumbents are now fighting for their political lives.
For the communities Crane represents â from the mountain towns of Yavapai and Coconino counties to the tribal lands of the Navajo Nation â the outcome means another two years of representation from a lawmaker who has built a reputation as a hard-line conservative and a reliable vote for the Trump agenda. Whether that record serves the district's diverse constituencies, including some of the state's most underserved rural and Indigenous communities, will be a question voters weigh again in 2028.