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Eli Crane

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Eli Crane
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona's 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byTom O'Halleran
Personal details
Born
Elijah Crane

(1980-01-03) January 3, 1980 (age 44)
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Signature
WebsiteHouse website
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service2001–2014
UnitNavy Seals

Elijah James Crane[1] (born January 3, 1980)[2] is an American politician and businessman elected as the U.S. representative from Arizona's 2nd congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Crane defeated Democratic incumbent Tom O'Halleran.[3]

Before entering politics, Crane served in the United States Navy and co-founded Bottle Breacher, which he sold in 2022.

Crane is running for reelection in 2024 against Democratic nominee Jonathan Nez, the former Navajo Nation President.[4]

Early life and education

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Crane was born in Tucson, Arizona, and raised in Yuma.[5] His father worked as a pharmacist. Crane graduated from Cibola High School in 1998 and studied sociology at Arizona Western College and the University of Arizona.

Career

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Crane stated that one week after the September 11 attacks, he dropped out of college and served in the United States Navy[6][7] from 2001 to 2014.[8] He was a member of the United States Navy SEALs and was deployed five times.[9] Three of the five deployments were with the SEALS.[10]

After leaving the military, Crane co-founded Bottle Breacher, a company that manufactures bottle openers made of .50 caliber cartridge casings. He and his wife pitched the product on an episode of Shark Tank and received investments from Kevin O'Leary and Mark Cuban.[11][12] Crane sold Bottle Breacher in 2022.[13]

U.S. House of Representatives

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2022 election

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Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona § District 2

In 2022, Crane won the Republican nomination for Arizona's 2nd congressional district. The district had previously been the 1st, represented by three-term Democrat Tom O'Halleran. Crane was endorsed by Donald Trump,[14] and additionally accepted the endorsement of Republican state senator Wendy Rogers before the date of the primary election.[15][16] Crane won the August Republican primary, defeating state representative Walter Blackman and others.[17] Crane promoted the false conspiracy theory that there were "massive amounts of fraud" in the 2020 United States presidential election. Crane called upon the Arizona State Legislature to decertify Joe Biden's victory in the state, and for the attorney general of Arizona to launch a criminal investigation into alleged voter fraud.[18][19] In the general election, Crane unseated O'Halleran by a 54% to 46% margin.[20][21]

Tenure

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Crane did not support Kevin McCarthy for House speaker, and was one of six Republicans to vote against him on every ballot in the initial speaker election in 2023.[22][23] In the 15th and final round of voting, Crane dropped his support for a different candidate and voted "present".[24] He would later be one of eight Republicans to support the removal of Kevin McCarthy from the speakership.[25]

Syria

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In 2023, Crane was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[26][27]

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

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Crane was among the 71 Republicans and 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[28]

Ukraine

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In 2023, Crane voted to cut off all military aid to Ukraine.[29][30]

In 2023, Crane was among 98 Republicans to vote for a ban on cluster munitions to Ukraine.[31][32]

Removal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House

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On October 3, 2023, Crane was one of eight Republicans who voted to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House after the latter allowed the passage of a temporary spending bill which did not include any conservative policy.

Israel

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Crane voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[33][34]

Conspiracy theories on the Trump assassination attempts

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On multiple occasions, Crane has promoted conspiracy theories about both the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania in July 2024 and the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Florida in September 2024. For the first attempted assassination, Crane has promoted the conspiracy theory that the gunman did not act alone, and for the second attempted assassination, Crane has promoted the conspiracy theory that the gunman was an "asset" of a foreign adversary.[35]

Committee assignments

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For the 118th Congress:[36]

Caucus memberships

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Personal life

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Crane is Protestant.[38] He lives in Oro Valley, Arizona.[13]

He has served as a brand ambassador for Sig Sauer firearms.[10]

Electoral history

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2022

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2022 Arizona's 2nd congressional district Republican primary [39]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Eli Crane 38,681 35.8
Republican Walter Blackman 26,399 24.4
Republican Mark DeLuzio 18,515 17.1
Republican Andy Yates 7,467 6.9
Republican John W. Moore 7,327 6.8
Republican Steve Krystofiak 5,905 5.5
Republican Ron Watkins 3,810 3.5
Total votes 108,104 100
2022 Arizona's 2nd congressional district election[40]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Eli Crane 174,169 53.9
Democratic Tom O'Halleran (incumbent) 149,151 46.1
Independent (Write-in) Chris Sarappo 76 0.0
Total votes 323,396 100
Republican gain from Democratic

2024

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2024 Arizona's 2nd congressional district Republican primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Eli Crane 56,354 79
Republican Jack Smith 15,013 21.0
Total votes 71,367 100
2024 Arizona's 2nd congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Eli Crane (incumbent)
Democratic Jonathan Nez
Total votes

References

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  1. ^ "Rep. Eli Crane - R Arizona, 2nd, In Office - Biography". LegiStorm. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  2. ^ "Arizona New Members 2023". The Hill. November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  3. ^ Brunig, Mladen (November 9, 2022). "Republican Crane Wins Arizona House Race, Defeating Democrat O'Halleran". Bloomberg News. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  4. ^ Becenti, Arlyssa D. "Jonathan Nez defends his presidential record, says he knows district better than incumbent". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  5. ^ "Eli Crane". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  6. ^ "Crane, Eli". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Library of Congress. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  7. ^ "Eli Crane, AZ Congressional Candidate: America First". The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. WLAC. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  8. ^ Askarinam, Leah (April 11, 2022). "How a Little-Known Democrat Tries to Hold On". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  9. ^ Hansen, Ronald J. (July 8, 2021). "State Rep. Walt Blackman, former Navy SEAL Eli Crane enter GOP race for Arizona's CD1". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Randazzo, Ryan. "Who is Eli Crane? What to know about the Arizona Republican who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  11. ^ Aleshire, Peter (April 5, 2022). "Crane seeks Republican congressional nomination". Payson Roundup. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  12. ^ Fraioli, Sophia (October 24, 2018). "Kevin O'Leary gets to the bottom of Bottle Breacher's back-order issues on 'Beyond the Tank'". CNBC. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Alam, Adnan (October 14, 2022). "U.S. House, District 2: Eli Crane doesn't live in district – but is Trump endorsed". Cronkite News. Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  14. ^ Shoaib, Alia (July 23, 2022). "Trump looked surprised when his supporters loudly booed him at an Arizona rally over his Congress endorsement". Business Insider. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  15. ^ Hernandez, Jacob (May 24, 2022). "Trump Makes Call to GOP Fundraiser Held in Show Low". White Mountain Independent. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  16. ^ "Trump Endorsed Sen. Wendy Rogers Endorses Eli Crane for Congress". Eli Crane for Congress. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  17. ^ "Arizona Second Congressional District Primary Election Results". The New York Times. August 2, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  18. ^ Beckwith, Ryan Teague (September 6, 2022). "Here Are the 253 Key Political Leaders Who Back Trump's False Claims of Election Fraud". Bloomberg News. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  19. ^ Rogers, Alex; Zanona, Melanie; Raju, Manu (October 28, 2021). "12 GOP 'Young Guns' embrace Trump's election falsehoods". CNN. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  20. ^ "GOP eyes Arizona US House seats in bid to flip control". KTAR News. Associated Press. November 8, 2022. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022.
  21. ^ "Arizona Second Congressional District Election Results". The New York Times. November 11, 2022. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022.
  22. ^ "Here's how Arizona's 9 House members voted for speaker". KTAR-FM. January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  23. ^ Lillis, Mike; Brooks, Emily; Schnell, Mychael (January 6, 2023). "The 14 Republicans who switched their votes to McCarthy". The Hill. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  24. ^ "Committees and Caucuses". Representative Crane. U.S. House of Representatives. January 3, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  25. ^ Cook Escobar, Molly; Elliott, Kennedy; Levitt, Zach; Murphy, John-Michael; Parlapiano, Alicia; Reinhard, Scott; Shorey, Rachel; Wu, Ashley; Yourish, Yourish (October 3, 2023). "Live Vote Count: House Decides Whether to Oust McCarthy as Speaker". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  26. ^ "H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … -- House Vote #136 -- Mar 8, 2023".
  27. ^ "House Votes Down Bill Directing Removal of Troops From Syria". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. March 8, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  28. ^ Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023). "Republicans and Democrats who bucked party leaders by voting no". The Hill. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  29. ^ "H.Amdt. 226 (Gaetz) to H.R. 2670: To prohibit security assistance … -- House Vote #304 -- Jul 13, 2023". GovTrack. July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  30. ^ Metzger, Bryan (July 13, 2023). "Here Are the 70 House Republicans Who Voted to Cut off All US Military Aid to Ukraine". Business Insider. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  31. ^ Fortinsky, Sarah (July 14, 2023). "Almost 50 Democrats Snub Biden with Vote against Cluster Bombs for Ukraine". The Hill.
  32. ^ "H.Amdt. 243 (Greene) to H.R. 2670: To Prohibit Cluster Munitions ... -- House Vote #317 -- Jul 13, 2023". GovTrack. July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  33. ^ Demirjian, Karoun (October 25, 2023). "House Declares Solidarity With Israel in First Legislation Under New Speaker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  34. ^ "Roll Call 528, Bill Number: H. Res. 771, 118th Congress, 1st Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  35. ^ Karni, Annie (October 5, 2024). "As Lawmaker Claims Trump's Shooting Was Inside Job, G.O.P. Indulges Him". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2024.
  36. ^ "Elijah Crane". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  37. ^ Roche, Darragh (November 10, 2022). "Full list of Freedom Caucus Members after 2022 midterms results". Newsweek. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  38. ^ "Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 118th Congress". Pew Research Center. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  39. ^ "2022 United States House of Representatives Republican primary election results" (PDF). azsos.gov. Secretary of State of Arizona. 2022. p. 2. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  40. ^ "2022 United States House of Representatives general election results" (PDF). azsos.gov. Secretary of State of Arizona. 2022. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eli Crane.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona's 2nd congressional district
2023–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
364th 		Succeeded by
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