Nez, Crane set for November rematch in Arizona’s 2nd District
Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero
Democratic candidate Jonathan Nez, the former Navajo Nation president, who’s running for Congressional District 2 in Arizona, says he has more experience than current incumbent, Rep. Eli Crane. (R-AZ). File photo: October 2022.
WINDOW ROCK
A day after unofficial results showed him winning the Democratic primary in Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District, former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez headed to the Flagstaff Family Food Center, where he said the line of people waiting for food reflected an issue he would carry into his November rematch against U.S. Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz.
“I just drove by a long, long line of people coming to the food bank to get food here at the Flagstaff Family Food Center,” Nez said in an interview Wednesday. “Leaders should be helping to make people, families, get food on the table if they need help.”
Tuesday’s statewide primary set a repeat of the 2024 contest, when Crane defeated Nez by about 9 percentage points, 54.5% to 45.5%. In that election, Nez received about 69% of the vote in Apache County and 64% in Coconino County.
Crane, an Oro Valley Republican and House Freedom Caucus member, faced no opposition in the Republican primary. He marked the result with a campaign Facebook post featuring a graphic shared from President Donald Trump’s account.
“Thank you, Mr. President. It’s an honor to be in the fight with you. Let’s finish strong for #AZ02,” Crane wrote.
To read the full article, please see the July 23, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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