Jonathan Nez announced his campaign for Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District on Monday.
The former president of the Navajo Nation, a Democrat, is running to unseat Republican Eli Crane, who began representing the newly drawn district last year.
The district spans over 22,200 square miles across northern and eastern Arizona and represents 14 of the state’s 22 federally recognized tribes.
Speaking to the Arizona Daily Sun about his bid, Nez said, “Being a Democrat, a father, a husband, a faith-based individual and just wanting something better for all our children into the future. That’s why I’m in this race.”
“There’s a lot of issues that the folks in our district are wanting us to address, like affordable child care, affordable housing and quality health care.”
Nez served as the president of the Navajo Nation from 2019 to 2023 but lost his reelection race last year.
The Navajo Nation is the United States’ largest Native American reservation, covering 25,000 square miles between northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah.
If elected, Nez will be the first Indigenous American to represent Arizona in Congress.