2026 Arizona (AZ-02) US House Voters Guide

Eli Crane (R) vs Jonathan Nez (D)

House of Representatives | Election | Nov 3, 2026

The Candidates

Eli Crane

Eli Crane

Republican

Incumbent
Jonathan Nez

Jonathan Nez

Democrat

The Issues

Abortion

Ban or legal?

Eli Crane (R)

Ban. Is “pro-life.” Sponsored a bill to ban abortions without exceptions. Voted to introduce criminal penalties for health care practitioners who fail to provide the required degree of care for an infant who survives an attempted abortion. Voted for a bill that would ban insurance covering abortions from receiving subsidies.

Jonathan Nez (D)

Legal.Women alone deserve to make decisions about their own healthcare.” “No elected official should tell us what to do with our bodies.” “The right to choose is about individual sovereignty.”

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Climate Change

Should climate change be a top priority?

Eli Crane (R)

No. Opposes “Green New Deal scams” and “wind and solar farms.” Voted to end Biden-era clean tax credits. Voted to repeal clean energy provisions. Voted to ban “regulation…minimizing risk of climate change” from a defense bill. Introduced a bill to study the “negative effects” of “interventions…to diminish…climate change.”

Jonathan Nez (D)

Yes. Would “work with both parties to protect Arizonans from climate change.” Supports “expanding renewable energy.” “Would “deliver a …more sustainable future.” Supported Inflation Reduction Act’s “clean energy initiatives.” Issued a 2019 proclamation for the Navajo Nation to prioritize renewable energy development.

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Criminal Justice

How to ensure effectiveness and fairness in law enforcement?

Eli Crane (R)

“Soft-on-crime policies hurt everyone.” Voted to condemn calls to defund or abolish the police. Voted to expand funding for the prevention of Native American child abuse. Voted to make fentanyl a schedule I substance. Sponsored a bill to require federal law enforcement to obtain a warrant to access AI-enhanced surveillance data.

Jonathan Nez (D)

Supports giving “resources, tools, and training” to law enforcement. Would “combat the opioid and fentanyl crisis.” Funded an expansion of drug enforcement operations. Supported Navajo Nation police hiring. Issued an executive order for improved “reporting, collecting, and sharing …data” for missing Indigenous people cases.

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Economy

Cut or increase government investment in, and regulation of, the economy?

Eli Crane (R)

Mostly cut. Says the U.S. is “on an unsustainable spending trajectory.” Opposes “government overreach and crippling regulation.” Voted to prohibit the SEC from regulating certain investment funds. Voted against a bipartisan bill to increase housing supply. Sponsored a bill to help Native American small business and “promote economic development in Indian country.”

Jonathan Nez (D)

Mostly increase. Supports funding infrastructure and expanding broadband access. Would “streamline small businesses’ access to loans and capital” and “prioritize local and Native food producers for government…contracts.” Supports a bipartisan bill to increase housing supply. “Congress has the ability to hold corporations accountable.” Supports reversing “erratic tariff policies.”

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Environment

Loosen or tighten environmental regulations?

Eli Crane (R)

Mostly loosen. Voted to undo controls on companies emitting seven major hazardous pollutants. Introduced a bill to allow oil and gas drilling on protected land in Chaco Canyon. Voted to limit the scope of the Clean Water Act. Voted to end a 20-year protection against mining upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Introduced a bill to “accelerate the cleanup of abandoned hardrock mines.”

Jonathan Nez (D)

Tighten. Would “protect our precious groundwater.” Would “fight to protect our water rights, invest in modernizing aging water infrastructure.” Opposes “harmful chemicals in food production.” Supports “year-round wildfire mitigation efforts” and “resources to combat…natural disasters. Negotiated the Navajo-Utah Water Rights Settlement Act, which set  Tribal water rights & funded water infrastructure.

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Gun Laws

Loosen or tighten gun laws?

Eli Crane (R)

Loosen. Sponsored a bill to “protect the right to carry [legal] firearms without a permit.” Introduced two bills “defending veterans’ 2nd Amendment rights.” Sponsored a bill to remove the taxation and regulation of gun suppressors. Sponsored a bill to prohibit Medicaid from funding gun violence prevention.

Jonathan Nez (D)

Unclear. In response to a mass shooting in Minneapolis, said, “Thoughts and prayers are not enough. We must ensure that schools are safe and that gun violence is eradicated.”

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Health Care

Increase or decrease government support for health care?

Eli Crane (R)

Mostly decrease. Voted against extending Affordable Care Act premium tax credits by 3 years. Voted for a bill that cut Medicaid. Opposed reauthorizing programs for substance abuse, child emergency medical services, and dental health. Voted to fund rural health care improvements. Supported funding healthcare for Tribal veterans.

Jonathan Nez (D)

Increase. Supports extending Affordable Care Act tax credits. Would reverse cuts to Medicaid. Would “lower healthcare costs by taking on Big Pharma’s price gouging.” Would “expand rural healthcare access by creating more telehealth options, expanding mobile clinics.” Supported appropriations for the Indian Health Service.

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Immigration

How to handle immigration?

Eli Crane (R)

Would “finish the wall, hire more immigration judges.” Introduced a bill to ban all immigration for 10 years. Voted to limit asylum and require employers use E-Verify for new employees. Voted to increase DHS funding by $70 billion. Introduced a bill to limit family-sponsored visas. Introduced a bill to pause new H-1B visas for three years.

Jonathan Nez (D)

Supports “investing in advanced technology, hiring more border agents” and “a fair pathway to citizenship for those who work hard and play by the rules.” “The enforcement approach from ICE…made our country less safe.” Calls for “uphold[ing] immigration laws that keep all Americans safe without inciting violence.”

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Iran

Support the war in Iran?

Eli Crane (R)

Mixed. I would like to see the president…declaw and devein the Iranians.” Voted five times against requiring congressional authorization for U.S. military action in Iran. Opposes “another long Middle Eastern war.” “I’m just hoping and praying that we get out of there as soon as possible.”

Jonathan Nez (D)

No. I’ll fight to end the war and reduce gas prices.” “I have no sympathy for [Iran’s] regime…. We have stumbled into [an endless war] with no plan.” Says Congress should “assert its war powers authority and demand answers.” Says the war is “jacking up gas, diesel and fertilizer prices.”

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Labor

Make it easier or harder for unions to organize?

Eli Crane (R)

Harder. Voted against restoring federal employees’ collective bargaining rights. Voted against requiring employers to bargain with newly organized unions within 10 days after a vote to unionize. Sponsored a bill requiring secret ballots for union elections.

Jonathan Nez (D)

Easier.Will always fight for better wages and better benefits for our unions.” “It’s time to put Arizona workers first.”

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LGBTQ Rights

Limit or expand LGBTQ rights?

Eli Crane (R)

Likely limit. Voted to criminalize providing gender-affirming care to minors. Voted to ban trans students from participating in female sports at federally funded schools. Voted to ban nonbinary & transgender people from serving in the military.

Jonathan Nez (D)

Expand. Supported the repeal of a Navajo Nation ban on same-sex marriage. In 2022 said the issue should be decided by a public vote. Sponsored a 2019 Diné Pride event.

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Minimum Wage

Raise the federal minimum from $7.25 per hour?

Eli Crane (R)

No. Forcing a mandatory minimum wage on our small businesses is devastating for Main Street.”

Jonathan Nez (D)

Unclear. Opposes “slow wage growth.” Supports “higher wages.”

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Taxes

Raise or lower taxes on corporations and wealthier individuals?

Eli Crane (R)

Lower. Sponsored a bill to make 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent. Voted to extend the cuts, which included the largest one-time cut in the corporate tax rate. Sponsored a bill to repeal the estate tax.

Jonathan Nez (D)

Raise. Opposes “tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy.” Opposes “prioritizing corporations and billionaires.” Said the bill extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts let “the billionaires…get another tax break on the backs of working people.”

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Voting Rules

Make voting harder or easier?

Eli Crane (R)

Harder. Sponsored the SAVE Act to require anyone registering to vote in a federal election to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Supports banning mail-in voting. Supports voter ID.

Jonathan Nez (D)

Easier. Supports the For the People Act, which expands voter registration. Would “protect mail-in voting.” In 2021 supported a bill to address barriers to voting on tribal lands.

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