Republican Eli Crane DEFIES blue wave and WINS re-election in Arizona

In a rare bright spot for Republicans, incumbent Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), a former Navy SEAL, narrowly survived the national blue tsunami in a rematch with Democrat Jonathan Nez, the former president of the Navajo Nation.Crane defeated Nez in Arizona's 2nd Congressional District by about 3,800 votes in the latest count as of Monday, as reported by the Associated Press. The margin is wide enough to avoid an automatic recount, which Arizona law triggers only when the gap is 0.5% or less.'Both parties have been driving this country into the ground for decades, and the American people are sick of it.'Crane thanked his staff and supporters in a statement on social media and offered a gracious note to his competitor."I'd also like to commend Jonathan Nez on throwing his hat in the ring again. I wish him and his family nothing but the best on their future endeavors," he wrote."I'm going to keep fighting against the status quo in Congress," Crane added. "Both parties have been driving this country into the ground for decades, and the American people are sick of it."He said he would oppose anyone trying to move the country "in the wrong direction."Democrats flipped two Republican-held House seats in Arizona. They also won a trifecta after keeping control of the governor's office and taking control of both houses of the legislature.The Democratic Party had not held the governor’s office and both legislative chambers at the same time since 1966.RELATED: Border-themed Christmas decorations outside Eli Crane's office called 'insensitive,' 'insulting' Even though Crane won re-election, Nez improved his performance from the last matchup. In 2024, Crane won by nine percentage points over Nez.Total outside spending in the contest favored Crane by 2-to-1, leading Nez to characterize his campaign as a "David versus Goliath" struggle.Had Nez won, he would have become the first Native American from Arizona in Congress, according to the New York Times.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!