Politics
Late surge of outside spending widens financial gap in Arizona’s 2nd District race
Outside groups spent about $7.6 million on the contest between Republican Rep. Eli Crane and Democrat Jonathan Nez after Arizona’s July primary, with nearly $5 million reported since Oct. 12. Groups supporting Crane have spent more than twice as much as groups backing Nez, according to federal filings.
Outside groups have spent about $7.6 million on Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District race since the July primary, including nearly $5 million in the two weeks before Oct. 26, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
The contest pits Republican Rep. Eli Crane against Democratic challenger Jonathan Nez. Groups supporting Crane spent about $5.3 million, compared with roughly $2.4 million from groups supporting Nez, based on reports filed through Oct. 25. The totals are rounded.
No Going Back PAC was the largest spender, putting $3.4 million toward supporting Crane and opposing Nez. The Democratic super PAC House Majority PAC spent nearly $1 million against Crane.
The surge is notable in a district that President Donald Trump won by about 15 percentage points in 2024 and Crane carried by about nine points. Nez described the contest as “David versus Goliath” in a recent NBC interview, saying his campaign was being outspent. “The American people are smart. They know what’s going on,” he said.
Crane also had a larger campaign account. As of Oct. 14, his campaign reported $1.35 million in cash on hand, compared with $506,000 for Nez’s campaign.
Across Arizona, outside groups had spent nearly $56 million on the state’s nine U.S. House races since the primary. The 2nd District was third in spending, behind the 1st District contest between Republican Jay Feely and Democrat Amish Shah, with more than $25 million, and the 6th District race between Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani and Democrat JoAnna Mendoza, with about $22.5 million. The other six districts together drew less than $500,000.
Spending in the 2nd District came later than in those two higher-spending contests: about 84% of its outside-group money was reported in October, compared with about 70% in the 1st and 6th districts. Election Day is Nov. 3.