Republican Eli Crane flips Arizona House seat

Republican Eli Crane is projected to defeat Rep. Tom O’Halleran (D) in Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District, a key pickup for Republicans that puts the party one step closer to winning a House majority.

NBC and ABC called the race.

Crane, a businessman and former Navy SEAL, was leading with 54 percent of the vote as of Wednesday evening, compared to O’Halleran’s 46 percent.

The rural seat became more Republican-leaning following redistricting, creating hope within the GOP of defeating the three-term incumbent.

The district includes most of northern Arizona, including Sedona, Flagstaff and Prescott. It stretches around the Phoenix metro area, including the edges of the city’s southern suburbs.

National Republican groups ran ads attacking O’Halleran, while national Democrats declined to fund their nominee until the campaign’s final weeks.

A former Republican, O’Halleran portrayed himself as a moderate in Congress, co-chairing the centrist Blue Dog Coalition.

Crane is the CEO of Bottle Breacher, a small business featured on Shark Tank that makes bottle openers built from bullets.

Endorsed by former President Trump, Crane campaigned on fighting against voter fraud, vaccine mandates and cancel culture. He also repeatedly railed against Democrats’ immigration policies.

Crane also received support from multiple conservative lawmakers, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), both of whom congratulated Crane on his victory.