In Arizona’s CD2, Jonathan Nez is challenging GOP Rep. Eli Crane over a disconnect from tribal communities.
Congressman Eli Crane was elected in 2022 to represent the largest congressional district in Arizona, but many constituents say he doesn’t have their best interests at heart. Jonathan Nez said he wants to change that.
Nez, the former president of the Navajo Nation, is vying to be the first Native American from Arizona to be elected to the US House of Representatives. He says he will prioritize lowering costs for everyday necessities and put more money into the pockets of constituents.
READ MORE: Jonathan Nez announces bid for Congress in Arizona’s second congressional district
This year alone, US Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), a former Navy SEAL and member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus who has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, has voted against two bipartisan bills to make housing more affordable and accessible, including for tribal communities that make up a huge chunk of his constituency.
Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District (CD2) covers about 60% of the state and much of it is rural and on tribal land. Tribal members account for about 20% of the district’s total population and 14 of Arizona’s 22 recognized tribes are located in the district.
The district now leans heavily Republican, and Crane previously won in 2024 with over 54% of the vote.
Before Crane was elected in 2022, the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission redrew Arizona’s congressional districts in 2021, and CD2 shifted to a Republican advantage, likely helping Crane to unseat Tom O’Halleran, a Democrat who previously represented the district.
Flagstaff, where Nez now lives, is a progressive stronghold amongst much of right-leaning rural Arizona that the district covers like Prescott and Cottonwood. Nez grew up on the Navajo Nation in Shonto, Arizona.
“I grew up in a rural community [with] no running water or electricity. Eli Crane, on the other hand, is a millionaire who doesn’t even live within an hour of the district…it’s no wonder he votes the way he does. He doesn’t understand us,” Nez said.
Crane is registered to vote at an address in the Tucson area, the Arizona Republic reported in 2024, an hour away from the closest in the district. He also has a net worth of over $1 million as the former CEO of Bottle Breacher, a small business he founded and sold in 2022.
Members of Congress should be able to speak on the conditions in the community they represent, but that’s not the case, Nez said.
In March, Crane voted against the Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act, a bill that would simplify the approval process of property mortgages on tribal lands, even though the effort was led by two Republicans.
The bill would cut through bureaucratic red tape and delays to make homeownership more accessible and more community development projects achievable on tribal lands, Nez said.
Tribes have to abide by federal laws and policies for new housing developments, which creates obstacles with financing, he explained. Small changes like the Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act would help housing projects move forward, Nez said.
Homeownership rates for Indigenous peoples is 53% compared to 71% for white people, and Indigenous peoples represent 7% of the total homeless population, despite representing only 2% of the US population, according to US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) data.
In February, Crane was one of nine members of Congress to vote against the Housing in the 21st Century Act, a bipartisan bill that aimed to increase homeownership through modernizing local development and rural housing programs, among other housing affordability changes.
Crane has also caught heat for a noticeable lack of town halls with his constituents, including in northern Arizona, where organizers have said he’s never hosted a town hall. Though, he is hosting a telephone town hall Wednesday at 5 p.m. EST from Washington DC.
Last year, Crane voted in support of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that cut Medicaid funding and overwhelmingly put rural hospitals at risk of closure.
He also voted against extending Affordable Care Act tax credits, which raised the cost of health insurance premiums for thousands of Arizonans.
“As Arizonans face an affordability crisis with the cost of food, healthcare, housing skyrocketing, Mr. Crane, who is worth millions and lives in a gated community an hour away from this district, voted against two bills to help make housing more affordable and accessible,” Nez said.
