FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) 鈥� Former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez announced Monday that he鈥檚 running for Congress.
Nez, a 48-year-old Democrat, will vie for the seat occupied by incumbent Eli Crane, a Republican who has represented Arizona鈥檚 redrawn 2nd Congressional District since last year.
The district covers a large portion of northern and eastern Arizona and includes 14 of the 22 federally recognized tribes within the state.
鈥淚 grew up in a rural, low-income home, in a long-overlooked community where my family lived paycheck-to-paycheck, worried about how we鈥檇 make ends meet. I understand the struggles that many Arizona families are facing right now,鈥� Nez said in a statement Monday.
Nez was born in Tuba City and grew up in Shonto, both located on the vast Navajo reservation.
He was the Navajo Nation鈥檚 president from 2019-23 after serving four years as the tribe鈥檚 vice president.
Nez lost in his presidential reelection bid and now hopes to become the first Native American to represent Arizona in Congress.
However, the state鈥檚 2nd District has about 30,000 more voters registered as Republicans than as Democrats with an estimated 160,000 voters registered as independent.
Nez said he believes voters care less about which party holds the seat than whether their representatives are taking concrete action to improve their lives.
鈥淲e need leadership in Congress that will put aside the politics of drama and division and fight for rural Arizona families instead,鈥� Nez said. 鈥淲e cannot afford to have representatives who take us to the brink of a government shutdown just to prove a political point.鈥�
At least two other people have filled out paperwork to possibly run for the 2nd District seat 鈥� Lindsay Bowe, a Democrat, and David Bies, a Libertarian.
The Associated Press
