NEW: Blue Dogs Endorse Nez for Congress in AZ-02
Caps off a week of incredible momentum for Nez
PRESCOTT, ARIZONA – The political arm of the Blue Dogs, a group of fiscally responsible Democrats who are leading the way to find common-sense solutions in Congress, today threw their support behind former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez in his increasingly-competitive race against incumbent AZ-02 Rep. Eli Crane.
“When I first decided to run for Congress, I did so because the people of rural Arizona needed a representative who understood them and who was laser focused on delivering for rural families,” said former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez. “I am honored to receive the support of the Blue Dogs, a group long known to cross party lines in favor of common sense solutions.”
In recent weeks, AZ-2 has been seen as “a sleeper race that may finally be waking up.” Just last week, an Inside Elections and Noble Predictive Insights poll found that the race is neck-and-neck with Nez tied with Crane (42-42). This came after an impressive Q3 in which the Nez campaign brought in a whopping $2.6 million from a grassroots base of over 50,000 individual donors — outraising Crane by $1 million.
Arizona’s 2nd congressional district is a purple district that has trended towards Democrats in recent years. Despite that, its MAGA incumbent Eli Crane, who lives outside the district in suburban Tucson, has campaigned and governed as a hard-right Republican — voting against abortion rights, turning away needed infrastructure dollars in this rural district, indulging in conspiracy theories, and embracing Washington dysfunction. In his own district, he is even more unpopular than the beleaguered Kari Lake. He is one of the most vulnerable members of the House Freedom Caucus.
With less than two weeks until election day, this endorsement from the Blue Dog Coalition will bolster President Nez’s momentum and provide an even stronger case that he is the right candidate for Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District.
About Former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez
A lifelong public servant, Jonathan Nez was elected President of the Navajo Nation in 2019, where he made historic investments in housing for veterans, infrastructure, and public safety, in addition to negotiating with the Trump Administration to win a critical water access deal for rural Arizona.
If elected, President Nez would be Arizona’s first Native American congressional member ever.