Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) defended his House seat from Democratic challenger Jonathan Nez, bringing the GOP one step closer to holding the majority in the House of Representatives once again.
The Associated Press called the race Saturday night with 90% of the vote counted. Crane has 54.2% of the vote, while Nez has 45.8%.
The Cook Political Report rated Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District as “likely Republican,” specifically R+6.
Crane won by a similar margin in 2020 when he defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Tom O’Halleran by over 7%.
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Crane is a former Navy SEAL and is a member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus. Nez was the president of the Navajo Nation, an Indian reservation in the United States, for four years, from 2019 to 2023.
The 2nd District encompasses counties just outside Phoenix and Tuscon, including Pinal, Yavapai, Gila, Graham, Coconino, Navajo, and Apache counties.