A new poll of Arizona’s Second Congressional District shows Republican Rep. Eli Crane leading Democratic challenger Jonathan Nez by 11 points in their rematch for the northeastern Arizona seat.
The Peak Insights survey, conducted August 17-20, found Crane supported by 53% of respondents and Nez by 42%, with 5% selecting neither candidate or saying they did not know.
The poll places Crane above 50% in the initial ballot test with just over two months remaining before the general election.
Per source, Freedom Caucus member Eli Crane up double digits in a competitive northern Arizona district pic.twitter.com/6Yp5Tp9djC
Peak Insights conducted 400 live telephone interviews with a representative sample of 2026 general election voters in the district using landlines and cell phones. The poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
The memo does not identify who commissioned or paid for the survey.
The poll’s ballot test listed Crane, Nez, and “Neither/don’t know.” It did not include Libertarian Curtis Goodwin, who advanced from the July 21 Libertarian primary and is also a candidate in the general election.
The Peak Insights memo also reported a positive job-approval rating for Crane. 41% of respondents approved of his performance in Congress, while 25% disapproved.
President Donald Trump was viewed favorably by 51% of respondents and unfavorably by 45%, according to the survey. Among voters who viewed Trump favorably, Crane led Nez 95% to 2%.
Peak Insights also examined the remaining undecided voters and reported that a majority are registered Republicans who supported Trump over former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
The pollster characterized that group as favoring Crane based on its partisan composition and previous voting behavior.
Nez drew 42% in the ballot test, which Peak Insights noted matched Harris’ 2024 share of the presidential vote in the district. The memo reported that Nez received support from 2% of respondents who said they voted for Trump in 2024.
The candidates are meeting for a second consecutive general election after Crane defeated Nez in 2024. Alongside the release of his latest ad in early August, Crane said, “The same D.C. Democrats who look down on rural Arizonans because we don’t share their woke values want to pretend like they all of the sudden care about AZ-02. What they really care about is power.”
Crane won the 2024 contest with 54.5% of the vote to Nez’s 45.5%, a nine-point margin. The Cook Political Report notes that Nez ran ahead of Harris in the district, which Trump carried by approximately 15 points.
Cook currently rates the 2026 race “Likely Republican” and gives Arizona’s Second Congressional District a Republican-leaning R+7 Partisan Voting Index.
Crane, a former Navy SEAL first elected to Congress in 2022, is seeking a third term. Nez served as president of the Navajo Nation from 2019 to 2023.
Both advanced through the July 21 primary. The official state canvass recorded 89,205 votes for Crane in the Republican primary and 65,118 for Nez in the Democratic primary, with neither facing a listed opponent in his respective party contest.
The race has also drawn substantial campaign spending. Federal Election Commission (FEC) records through July 1 show Crane’s campaign with approximately $2.84 million in cash on hand, while Nez reported approximately $1.91 million.
Crane’s campaign had raised approximately $9.48 million during the 2025-26 election cycle through July 1, compared with approximately $3.52 million raised by Nez’s campaign, according to the FEC.
The Second Congressional District covers a large portion of northern and eastern Arizona, including Flagstaff, Prescott, and much of the Navajo Nation.
U.S. Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) spent the last week of July traveling across Arizona’s Second Congressional District, meeting with constituents, educators, ranchers, business leaders, and local officials while highlighting legislative priorities ranging from agriculture and energy to education and public lands.
The weeklong tour included stops in Douglas, Show Low, Holbrook, Williams, Camp Verde, and other communities where Crane promoted recent federal investments, discussed ongoing policy initiatives, and gathered feedback from residents on issues affecting rural Arizona.
One of the week’s most significant announcements came Wednesday, July 29 in Douglas, where Crane joined fellow Republican Representatives Andy Biggs (AZ-05) and Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) alongside Secretary Brooke Rollins as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled a $25 million investment to construct a new sterile fly production facility in Douglas.
The project is intended to strengthen the nation’s defenses against the New World screwworm, a destructive livestock pest that has prompted growing concern among ranchers across the Southwest.
The announcement followed a letter signed by Crane, Biggs, and Ciscomani along with Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ01) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ09), urging the USDA to modernize the Douglas facility to improve the nation’s long-term response capabilities.
Following the announcement, the congressmen toured livestock inspection facilities at the Douglas Port of Entry, which is scheduled to re-open to livestock trade on August 24th after preparations aimed at safeguarding American agriculture.
Crane later traveled to Show Low, where he visited Linden Valley Arena, a well known destination within Arizona’s roping community that has been owned and operated by the Perkins family since 2010.
The following morning, Crane addressed teachers and staff with the Show Low Unified School District ahead of the upcoming school year, sharing lessons on leadership and teamwork drawn from his experience as a Navy SEAL and small business owners.
He also thanked educators for their commitment to students while highlighting what he described as a recent legislative victory for rural schools.
Last year, Crane helped build congressional support for a three-year reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools program, legislation that was ultimately signed into law and continues funding for education and essential county services in communities located near national forests throughout Arizona’s Second Congressional District.
After leaving Show Low, Crane visited Northland Pioneer College in Holbrook, where he met with administrators to discuss the college’s Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) program.
The visit coincided with the Trump administration’s recently announced Freedom Haulers Initiative, a federal effort designed to expand career opportunities for veterans entering the trucking industry.
Crane praised the initiative while recognizing the college’s work to strengthen workforce development through its CDL program.
Later that day, Crane met with the Murph family at H Bar and Y Ranch in Holbrook. The Murph family, whose cattle operation pre-dates Arizona statehood, faces uncertainty over long-held Arizona State Land Department grazing leases because of a proposed solar development by a foreign company.
Crane said he has been working behind the scenes to help resolve the dispute. The meeting also followed last month’s signing of a memorandum of understanding between the USDA and the Small Business Administration (SBA) establishing cooperation between the USDA Lawfare Portal and the SBA’s Office of National Ombudsman.
The agreement is intended to ensure complaints from farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers alleging legal harassment are investigated and resolved.
According to the USDA, the Lawfare Portal has received more than 400 complaints from 47 states over the past two years.
Crane also toured the Cholla Power Plant, which stopped burning coal in March 2025 after more than six decades of operation. Arizona Public Service is pursuing plans to convert the facility to natural gas, a transition expected to generate approximately 380 megawatts of capacity while preserving jobs and maintaining reliable power generation for the region.
On Saturday, August 1, Crane attended the annual Coconino County Farm Bureau and Cattle Growers Association banquet in Williams, where he updated attendees on several legislative priorities pending before Congress.
Among the measures discussed was the House-passed Farm Bill which includes Buy American requirements for school meal programs, increased reporting requirements for agricultural land purchases by foreign adversaries, and strengthened farm credit and crop insurance programs.
Crane also highlighted his amendment intended to accelerate recovery efforts following the White Sage Fire, while noting his support for proposals removing pesticide liability protections and ensuring compensation for livestock losses caused by Mexican wolves.
The measures seek to improve forest management through expanded technology and reduced litigation while accelerating reconstruction efforts at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim following the Dragon Bravo Fire. Both bills have passed the House but remain pending in the Senate.
The congressman’s final stop took him to Camp Verde, where he met with ranchers to discuss ongoing concerns involving the U.S. Forest Service.
Crane said he is developing legislation aimed at simplifying fence repairs following natural disasters while also addressing what he characterized as abuses of the Equal Access to Justice Act.
The district also received additional federal infrastructure support during the week as the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded more than $5 million in airport improvement grants throughout Arizona’s Second Congressional District.
The funding Includes:
Bagdad: $90,389 for design work to expand terminal parking.
Chinle: $339,000 to reconstruct aircraft apron pavement.
Cottonwood: $536,876 to reconstruct portions of Taxiway A.
Page: $679.031 for design of a new aircraft rescue and firefighting facility.
Springerville: $443,000 to construct a new taxilane serving future hanger development.
Prescott: $2.97 million to construct a new aircraft storage hanger designed to improve airport self-sufficiency.
ICYMI – The @USDOT awarded more than $5 million to improve airport infrastructure in #AZ02.
The latest awards follow additional federal grants announced last month totaling approximately $10 million for improvements at Polacca Airport and Coolidge Municipal Airport.
Reflecting on the week’s events, Crane emphasized the importance of maintaining close ties with constituents while Congress remains out of session.
“Last week, I had the privilege of visiting with constituents, industry leaders, and remarkable institutions within Arizona’s Second Congressional District,” said Rep. Crane. “While there is much work to be done in Washington, D.C., it’s refreshing to get back home and meet face to face with the people I’m honored to represent. I look forward to building on these relationships and delivering principled and effective solutions for all Arizonans.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Rep. Eli Crane’s reelection campaign has reserved $2.1 million in fall advertising as the Arizona Republican prepares for a rematch with former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez in the state’s Second Congressional District.
The advertising will run across broadcast television, cable, satellite, streaming services, social media, and radio beginning in mid-September, according to an announcement from the Crane campaign.
“The same D.C. Democrats who look down on rural Arizonans because we don’t share their woke values want to pretend like they all of the sudden care about AZ-02,” Crane said. “What they really care about is power.”
“The truth is it is just another seat to them, but not to me,” Crane continued. “This is a district made up of some of the finest people you’d ever meet, folks who pray to God, love their neighbors, work hard, and play by the rules. It is an honor to serve them in Congress.”
Crane said he was prepared to defend his record against Democratic attacks during the general election campaign.
“If the D.C. Democrats want a fight, they’ve got one,” Crane said. “I don’t back down and am more prepared than ever to put my record up against their lies.”
The reservation follows the July release of Crane’s first general-election advertisement, titled “Fight.” The digital ad highlighted Crane’s military service and presented the former Navy SEAL as an advocate for rural Arizona willing to challenge members of both political parties in Washington. Crane served 13 years in the Navy and completed five wartime deployments, including three with SEAL Team 3.
Crane’s campaign previously said it planned to invest at least seven figures in paid media during the general election. The new reservation specifies the amount, platforms, and timing of the planned spending.
The congressman enters the fall with a substantial fundraising advantage. Crane’s campaign reported approximately $9.48 million in total receipts and $2.84 million in cash on hand through the end of June.
Nez reported approximately $3.52 million in total receipts and $1.91 million in cash on hand over the same reporting period. His campaign spent approximately $1.67 million through June.
Crane and Nez were unopposed in their respective party primaries. They are expected to face each other in the November 3 general election along with Libertarian Curtis Goodwin.
The contest is a rematch of the 2024 election, when Crane defeated Nez with 221,413 votes, or approximately 54.5 percent, to Nez’s 184,963 votes, or approximately 45.5 percent. Nez carried Apache, Coconino, and Graham counties, as well as the district’s portions of Maricopa and Mohave counties, while Crane prevailed in Gila, Navajo, Pinal, and Yavapai counties.
Arizona’s Second Congressional District includes Prescott, Flagstaff, and much of the Navajo Nation. The Cook Political Report rates the race “Likely Republican” and gives the district a Republican advantage of seven percentage points in its Partisan Voting Index. Cook reported that Nez finished nine points behind Crane in 2024 while outperforming the Democratic presidential ticket within the district.
Crane was first elected to Congress in 2022 and is seeking a third term. Nez served as president of the Navajo Nation from 2019 through 2023 and is making his second bid for the congressional seat.
Arizona’s general election is scheduled for November 3. Early voting begins October 7, and the voter-registration deadline is October 5.
U.S Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) has officially launched his general election campaign with the release of his first television and digital advertisement of the 2026 election cycle. The ad emphasizes Crane’s military background and positions him as a fighter for rural Arizona.
The advertisement titled “Fight,” debuted July 17, 2026. It centers on Crane’s service of five wartime deployments as a U.S. Navy SEAL sniper, focusing on his combat experience and leadership qualities that he says continue to guide his work in Congress.
According to the campaign, the ad will run across digital advertising platforms as Crane prepares to invest seven figures in paid media to defend Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District against Democratic challenger Jonathan Nez.
The campaign rollout follows Crane’s latest Federal Election Commission fundraising report, which shows the congressman has raised $9.4 million during the current election cycle.
The campaign says that total is more than two-and-a-half times the amount raised by Nez’s total receipts.
The filing also reports Crane entered the general election with approximately $2.8 million in cash on hand, compared to roughly $1.4 million at the same point during the 2024 election cycle.
In a statement accompanying the ad release, Crane contrasted his leadership style with what he described as Washington’s political establishment.
“The career politicians in Washington are really good at one thing – ducking a fight,” said Crane. “They retreat at the first hint of political blowback. They may talk tough on TV, but when the battle begins they are AWOL. Their battle cry is surrender. Real warriors know you are never out of the fight.”
Crane also argued that his willingness to challenge entrenched interests has made him a target of political opponents.
“The political establishment cannot control me and that is why they want me gone,” added Crane. “I do not back down. I take on the tough fights, and I deliver results. We don’t have to choose between principle and effectiveness. The real choice is between complacency and courage, between protecting the status quo and defeating it. I will fight for rural Arizona, and I will win. If the D.C. elites are firing back, that tells me I am directly over the target.”
The ad marks the beginning of what is expected to be a competitive general election campaign in Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District, with Crane seeking another term representing the largely rural district against former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Three Arizona Democratic congressional candidates received a combined $34,600 from Jonathan Soros, the son of billionaire political donor George Soros, and his wife, Jennifer, across the 2024 and 2026 election cycles, according to Federal Election Commission records.
JoAnna Mendoza, a Democratic candidate seeking to challenge Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani in Arizona’s Sixth Congressional District, received a combined $14,000 from Jonathan and Jennifer Soros for the 2026 election cycle. Jonathan Nez, a Democrat seeking Arizona’s Second Congressional District seat, received another $14,000 from the couple.
Dr. Amish Shah’s congressional campaign received a combined $6,600 from Jonathan and Jennifer Soros during the 2024 election cycle. Shah was the Democratic nominee in Arizona’s First Congressional District that year and is seeking the seat again in 2026.
The contributions were publicly disclosed and fall within federal campaign-finance limits. During the 2025-2026 election cycle, an individual may give a candidate committee up to $3,500 for each election, with the primary and general elections treated separately. Two married donors can therefore contribute a combined $14,000 to a candidate participating in both elections. The individual limit was $3,300 per election during the 2023-2024 cycle.
The contributions represent a smaller, more direct form of Soros family involvement than Arizona has seen in previous election cycles. In 2016, the Associated Press reported that a Soros-funded political group contributed $2.3 million in the Maricopa County sheriff’s race, supporting Democrat Paul Penzone and running advertisements against Republican incumbent Joe Arpaio. Another Soros-funded group spent $1.3 million as the sole contributor to a group opposing Republican Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. Penzone defeated Arpaio, while Montgomery won reelection against Democrat Diego Rodriguez.
The Soros political network also spent heavily on an Arizona ballot measure during the 2024 election. State campaign-finance records show the Open Society Action Fund contributed $1,999,999 to Arizona for Abortion Access, the committee supporting Proposition 139. The measure amended the Arizona Constitution to establish a right to abortion. George Soros founded the broader Open Society Foundations network, which includes the Open Society Action Fund.
Unlike those earlier expenditures, the money given to Mendoza, Nez, and Shah was contributed directly by Jonathan and Jennifer Soros to the candidates’ authorized campaign committees and was subject to federal individual contribution limits.
Jonathan Soros is an investor who previously served as president and deputy chairman of Soros Fund Management. He is also a director of the Jennifer and Jonathan Allan Soros Foundation and has participated in Democratic and progressive political organizations.
The contributions come as Mendoza and Nez have accumulated multimillion-dollar campaign accounts ahead of Arizona’s July primary election. The NRCC highlighted the contributions on X and cited comments from Arizona Republican Party Chairman Sergio Arellano published by the Arizona Daily Independent.
Arizona Dems pocket massive Soros checks while posing as ‘working class’
“Democrats love calling themselves the party of the working class,” Arizona Republican Party Chairman Sergio Arellano observed according to the Arizona Daily Independent. “That’s funny because they seem to spend a lot more time listening to radical billionaire donors than the people actually working overtime to pay the bills. Maybe that’s why hardworking Americans aren’t buying what they’re selling anymore.”
Mendoza’s campaign reported raising approximately $7.35 million and spending about $4.09 million through July 1. The campaign ended the reporting period with approximately $3.26 million in cash on hand. Mendoza is a retired Marine and former political consultant running against Ciscomani in a district Democrats have repeatedly targeted.
Nez, a former president of the Navajo Nation who unsuccessfully challenged Republican Rep. Eli Crane in 2024, reported raising approximately $3.52 million during the current cycle. His campaign spent approximately $1.67 million and reported about $1.91 million in cash on hand through July 1.
Shah’s campaign reported raising approximately $1.83 million during the current election cycle. The former Arizona state representative is competing for the Democratic nomination in the First Congressional District after losing the 2024 general election to Republican Rep. David Schweikert.
The National Republican Congressional Committee cited the Soros contributions while attacking Mendoza and Shah over their political positions.
“Democrat lobbyist JoAnna Mendoza and socialist Amish Shah sold out Arizona the moment they cashed these massive Soros checks,” NRCC spokesman Ben Petersen said in a statement. “These liberals serve the radical left-wing agenda of a billionaire family pushing dangerous socialist, defund the police, open borders policies.”
