Unofficial results from the Nov. 8, 2022, general election put Crane, a former Navy Seal and business owner, ahead of O’Halleran by more than 25,000 votes, or 7.8 percentage points. || Cage Skidmore via Flickr
By Alison Steinbach || The Arizona Republic
Republican Rep.-elect Eli Crane stood out in Arizona election results for defeating an incumbent in one of the state’s nine congressional districts.
Crane, a political newcomer endorsed by former President Donald Trump, ousted Rep. Tom O’Halleran, D-Ariz., who was seeking his fourth term in Congress in a redrawn district that favored Republicans.
Unofficial results from the Nov. 8, 2022, general election put Crane, a former Navy Seal and business owner, ahead of O’Halleran by more than 25,000 votes, or 7.8 percentage points.
The rest of Arizona’s congressional delegation are incumbents, with the exception of Republican Juan Ciscomani, who will represent the 6th Congressional District after winning the open seat vacated by the retiring Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz.
Redistricting is in part responsible for Crane’s success.
The large new 2nd Congressional District in the mostly rural northeastern corner of the state is much more Republican than O’Halleran’s current 1st Congressional District, which was about evenly divided between parties.
O’Halleran as a result was seen by election analysts as the most endangered House member in Arizona going into the November election.
“The reason Eli was successful is because he’s a great candidate,” said Annie Kelly Kuhle, a general consultant and strategist for the Crane campaign. “And secondly, the district improved quite a bit from the Republican perspective with redistricting. All of Yavapai County being added into the district really changed the dynamic and the makeup of the district.”
That mapping change helped a first-time candidate defeat a moderate Democrat with significant name recognition and a reputation for strong constituent service out of his congressional office.
O’Halleran co-chaired the moderate Blue Dog Caucus and has said he prioritizes fiscal responsibility and bipartisanship. He was a Republican until 2014.
