Jonathan Nez launches second bid to unseat Eli Crane in Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District

WINDOW ROCK

Perhaps he’ll be the first ch’izhíí’ Navajo to walk the halls of Congress as Arizona’s Congressional District 2 representative.

But first, he’ll have to win the hearts and minds of Republicans in the conservative-heavy district.

Former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez announced early Tuesday morning that he’s going to run again, mounting a second campaign to unseat Republican incumbent Eli Crane, who, according to state election filings, has already declared his intent to seek re-election in 2026.

Building on his previous campaign, Nez enters the race as an experienced challenger who could become the first Native American elected to Congress from Arizona.

In the 2024 general election, he carried the tribal-heavy northern counties of Apache, Coconino, and Navajo, as well as Graham. But Crane prevailed in Yavapai, Gila, Pinal, and parts of Maricopa and Mohave counties.

Official statewide canvass results certified by the Arizona Secretary of State on Nov. 25, 2024, confirmed Crane’s victory with 221,413 votes (54.5 percent) to Nez’s 184,963 (45.5 percent).

Warnings of mining, Medicaid cuts, Project 2025

At a Democratic rally in Dilkon, Arizona, on Nov. 3, just before the last election, Nez warned that Republican victories would bring renewed efforts to exploit natural resources on tribal land.

“Áádéé hxádáyiigéédóólééł, naana,” he said in Diné. “Baa ákódánóosin shiké nóołį́į́nį́į́. Baa yádááłtiʼ.”

He told the crowd that Republicans, including Crane, weren’t hiding the fact they’d likely begin pushing for coal and uranium mining on the Navajo Nation if elected.

Nez began his speech by referring to himself as “a ch’izhíí’ Navajo,” “a sheepherder,” who might be walking the halls of Congress, which drew laughter from the crowd.

Nez also warned about Donald Trump’s proposed Project 2025 initiative.

“One of the things that’s in there is, you heard Donald Trump say, ‘Drill, baby, drill,’ right? What he’s saying, he’s going to open up federal lands to natural resource extraction,” Nez said. “Get the message out, ladies and gentlemen, it’s a scary time. Our democracy is on the line.”

Tribal investment, health care and the fight ahead

Nez has not yet filed a statement of interest for the 2026 race but would be filing early Tuesday morning. Republican incumbent Eli Crane formally submitted his paperwork on April 24, 2025, declaring his candidacy for re-election in Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District, with the intention to run in the Republican primary on Aug. 4, 2026. David Alexander, a Democrat, submitted his statement of interest on Jan. 4, 2025, joining the race for the Democratic nomination.

Both filings were processed through the Arizona Secretary of State’s candidate portal.

Nez, who served as Navajo Nation President from 2019 to 2023, said his lived experience growing up in rural Shonto and his leadership in delivering federal investment to tribal and rural communities set him apart from Crane.

“I am a fighter, and now more than ever we need someone to warrior up and fight for Arizona,” Nez said. “The only thing Crane has fought for since taking office is taking money from our hard-working families to give to billionaires. Mr. Crane has betrayed us.”

Nez pointed to Crane’s support for major cuts to Medicaid, known in Arizona as AHCCCS, or Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, as a direct threat to tribal and rural health.

“Congress just voted for the largest cuts to Medicaid,” Nez said. “That decision is going to hurt a lot of folks, especially those tribal urban Navajos.”

He warned that rural hospitals in Page, Winslow, and Globe could be forced to shut down as a result.

“We should be making it easier for people to get health care, not harder,” he said.

Crane’s record under fire as Nez seeks tribal momentum

Crane, who currently lives outside the district in Oro Valley, Arizona, has been criticized by Nez for not directing federal allocations to local projects.

“My opponent is given like 25 to 40 million dollars a year, and yet he has not spent one penny of that allocation for Congressional District 2, his constituents,” Nez said.

Nez is referencing a July 12, 2024, press release from Congressman Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, in which it stated the passage of a $34 million funding package for fiscal 2025.

Oro Valley Town Manager Jeff Wilkins and Mayor Joe Winfield praised Ciscomani for getting $7 million for a bridge preservation.

“On behalf of the Town of Oro Valley, we would like to express our appreciation to Rep. Ciscomani and his team for their tireless efforts in working to secure $7M in congressionally directed spending appropriations,” Oro Valley Town Manager Jeff Wilkins is stated in the July 2024 press release. “When approved the funds would be used to preserve the structural integrity of our bridges and prevent further deterioration, providing for the safety and reliability of critical travel routes utilized by residents of Oro Valley and the greater Tucson region.”

Arizona’s 6th Congressional District (AZ-06) is located in the southeastern part of the state, covering parts of five counties: Pima, Pinal, Graham, Cochise, and Greenlee. It includes cities and towns such as Tucson (eastern and southern portions), Sierra Vista, Tombstone, Marana, Oro Valley, Casa Grande, Eloy, Duncan, Pima, Safford, and Oracle, as well as Fort Huachuca and parts of the Marana Regional Airport area. The district encompasses urban, suburban, and rural areas, including significant portions of southeastern Arizona’s border region and tribal lands like parts of the Tohono O’odham Nation.

Despite not defeating Rep. Crane, Nez performed well in the congressional race.

In his first campaign, he outperformed several top-ticket Democrats in AZ-02 in 2024, and his allies believe the district remains competitive.

The Cook Political Report noted that Nez “quietly built up a robust campaign operation focused on mobilizing Native American voters and reaching out to moderate Republicans turned off by Crane’s hardline style.”

Still, with both Crane and Alexander already officially in the race, Nez will need to file his own statement of interest to formally join the 2026 contest and once again face voters in a district that stretches from the outskirts of Tucson to the Utah border and includes 14 of Arizona’s 22 federally recognized tribes.

For more information about Nez’s campaign, visit http://www.jonathannezforaz.com.

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