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Former Navajo Nation president appeals to the center in campaign for Arizona's CD2

Jonathan Nez speaking on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2024.
Cheryl Evans/The Arizona Republic/Pool
Jonathan Nez speaking on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2024.

Democrat and former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez interviewed with the Clean Elections Commission on Thursday in what had been slated as a debate for candidates of Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District.

Incumbent Republican Congressman Eli Crane declined to participate.

Nez attempted to appeal to the center and accused Crane of being part of the dysfunction in Washington. He cited the vote to remove former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his post last year.

"Coming to the brink of a government shutdown. And just an extreme group of representatives that are making it very difficult for this Congress to function," Nez said.

If elected, Nez said he would be the first Native American to represent Arizona in Congress.

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Greg Hahne started as a news intern at KJZZ in 2020 and returned as a field correspondent in 2021. He learned his love for radio by joining Arizona State University's Blaze Radio, where he worked on the production team.