Trump-backed Republican Eli Crane won in Arizona’s 2nd congressional district, defeating incumbent Dem

The Associated Press has named Trump-backed Republican congressional candidate Eli Crane the winner of the race to represent Arizona’s 2nd congressional district, beating three-term Democratic Representative Tom O’Halleran.

Before entering the political scene, O’Halleran joined the Chicago Police Department as one of the youngest detectives in the city’s history. O’Halleran first served as a Republican congressman in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 and the Arizona State Senate from 2006 to 2009, before dropping out of the party in 2014 and to secure his current position as a Democrat, a seat he held. since 2016.

The Democrat served three terms representing Arizona’s 1st congressional district, but after a statewide redistricting sought re-election in the newly redesigned and more competitive 2nd congressional district, against Republican challenger Crane, backed by Trump.

Crane, a retired Navy SEAL and small-business owner in Tucson, is the pro-life, pro-Second Amendment Republican candidate who ran in opposition to O’Halleran. The GOP nominee “isn’t afraid to take a stand against cancel culture and the radical left,” as his campaign website asserts.

RETIRED NAVY SEAL SHORTS FOR CONGRESS AZ WITH FOCUS ON ELECTION INTEGRITY AND BORDER SECURITY

In his candidacy for Congress, Crane was endorsed by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and former President Donald Trump.

Border security was at the forefront of the dueling candidate’s campaigns. “It’s a real problem. If you talk to anybody at the border, to one of our border patrol agents, to law enforcement, it’s an invasion there. They need help. help, and they need this administration to take it seriously,” Crane said. Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade in July.

KARI LAKE ‘100% CONFIDENT’ SHE WILL BE ARIZONA’S NEXT GOVERNOR

CEO and Founder of Bottle Breacher Eli Crane.
(J. Countess for SBA)

Despite his Democratic stance, O’Halleran openly disagreed with President Joe Biden’s handling of the southern border and pointed to the Biden administration’s lack of communication. “The president needs to have a plan. We don’t want border chaos,” O’Halleran said when he joined America’s Newsroom in April.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“We need to have communication from the administration so we know what their ideas and concepts are. Not only do we need to know that, but the American people need to know that. People who are going to be immediately affected in Arizona and other states borders.”

In the months leading up to the election, the Cook Report called the race for Congress a “lean Republican,” giving Crane an edge over the incumbent Democrat.