Key Races ▸ Jonathan Nez
Arizona · AZ-02 · House

Jonathan Nez

The Race

SeatAZ-02, House
PrimaryJul 21, 2026
Partisan LeanR+7
Cook RatingLikely R
Votehub70.1% (R)

Fundraising — head to head

Jonathan Nez Democrat
$3,519,760
Eli Crane Republican
$9,481,428

Jonathan Nez is the Democratic nominee for Arizona's 2nd Congressional District, having won his July 2026 primary over former state Rep. Eric Descheenie in a rematch of his 2024 race against Republican incumbent Eli Crane, who won that contest by about 9 points, 54.5% to 45.5%. If elected, Nez would be the first Native American to represent Arizona in Congress.

Born in Tuba City and raised in Shonto on the Navajo Nation, Nez is Áshįįhí (Salt People) born for Ta'neeszahnii (Tangle clan), growing up on his family's ranch without electricity or running water. He began his career in public service at 29 as Vice President of the Shonto Chapter, later serving on the Navajo Nation Council and the Navajo County Board of Supervisors before being elected Vice President of the Navajo Nation in 2015 and President in 2019, a role he held through 2023. As president, he led the Navajo Nation through the COVID-19 pandemic, secured funding for new healthcare facilities and veterans' housing, invested in public safety by hiring new police officers, and brought clean water, electricity, and improved roads to thousands of previously unserved rural residents.

Nez has spoken publicly about overcoming an alcohol addiction as a young man, crediting his faith and family with helping him set his life on a new course. In Congress, he says he is committed to reforming government, holding Washington accountable, creating jobs, cutting gas and food costs, supporting Arizona veterans, and protecting the right to choose.

  • Jonathan Nez has pledged to fight for:
  • Holding Washington accountable and reforming government to work for rural Arizonans
  • Creating jobs and economic development, particularly in rural and tribal communities
  • Cutting high gas and food costs for working families
  • Expanding healthcare access, drawing on his pandemic-era leadership experience
  • Supporting Arizona veterans, including expanding housing and healthcare access
  • Protecting the right to choose
  • Investing in infrastructure, including water security and rural roads
  • Bringing federal resources directly to the 14 tribal nations within the district
  • Nez has centered his campaign on his record as a coalition-builder who worked across party lines as Navajo Nation president, arguing that his experience solving practical problems for underserved rural communities translates directly to the needs of AZ-02.

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