Jonathan Nez announces bid for Congress in Arizona’s second congressional district

“I am a fighter, and now more than ever we need someone to warrior up and fight for Arizona,” Nez said in a statement.

Former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez has announced he’s running for Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District in the 2026 midterm elections.

Nez, a Democrat, is running for the seat held by Republican Rep. Eli Crane. Crane flipped the once-blue district in 2022 after redistricting, defeating three-term Democratic Rep. Tom O’Halleran.

In order to face off against Crane in Nov. 2026, Nez must first beat Democrat Eric Descheenie in the primary.

“I am a fighter, and now more than ever we need someone to warrior up and fight for Arizona,” Nez said in a statement. “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.”

It’s Nez’ second bid for Congress. In 2024, Crane won with 54% of the vote to Nez’ 45%. If elected, Nez would be the first Arizona Native American in Congress.

Tribal land makes up a significant portion of Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District, and the district is home to 14 tribal nations.

According to the Cook Political Report, Nez made the district competitive in 2024. Nez outperformed Vice President Kamala Harris in Arizona’s 2nd District by 3.5 points and surpassed Sen. Ruben Gallego’s numbers, too, in his race.

Earlier this year, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) listed Crane’s district as one of three potentially flippable districts in Arizona. The others are District 1, held by Republican Rep. David Schweikert, and District 6, held by Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani.

In his press release, Nez pointed out that Crane does not live in the district he represents and criticized his vote to pass President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which is projected to throw 41,814 residents of the district off their healthcare.

“Eli Crane voted to gut Arizonans’ health care and take food off our tables – all to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Nearly 1 in 3 people in our district depend on Medicaid,” said Nez. “Crane’s priorities might go over well in the wealthy suburbs where he is from, but not in rural Arizona.”

Nez has already earned the endorsements of prominent Arizona Democrats, including Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, Attorney General Kris Mayes, and Reps. Greg Stanton and Yassamin Ansari.

In a statement, Sen. Kelly commended Nez’ leadership, and argued Arizonans need his leadership now more than ever.

“Arizonans who are working hard to get by deserve leaders who work just as hard for them in Washington. Jonathan Nez is exactly that kind of leader. He listens to people, and he solves problems because he cares about families in rural Arizona,” said Kelly. 

The general election occurs on Nov. 3, 2026.