Former Navajo Nation president announces his candidacy for Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez has announced he’s running for Congress. Nez says he will challenge incumbent Eli Crane, who has represented Arizona’s redrawn 2nd Congressional District since last year. The district in northern and eastern Arizona includes 14 of the 22 federally recognized tribes within the state. Nez says he’s disappointed with the divisiveness in politics and dysfunction in Washington. The 48-year-old Democrat was the Navajo Nation’s president from 2019-23 after serving four years as the tribe’s vice president. Nez lost his presidential reelection bid last year and now hopes to become the first Native American to represent Arizona in Congress.