Native Vote 2026. Former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, who is running for Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District, is condemning Rep. Eli Crane’s suggestion to intensify federal action following unrest in Minnesota.
Crane, a right-wing conservative Republican, is the current congressman representing the congressional district.
Nez pushed back after Crane urged President Donald Trump to consider invoking the Insurrection Act in response to protests and violence that erupted after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Veterans Affairs ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
In an interview posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, Crane called the Minneapolis protests a communist insurrection.
“I think it’s a communist insurrection. I really do. And I do think the president should invoke the Insurrection Act. The House Freedom Caucus is going to be pushing that up the chain of command this week,” Crane said.
Nez disagrees with Crane’s call for Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act.
“What has unfolded over the last few weeks in Minnesota and across the country is heartbreaking and wrong.The loss of American citizens’ lives is unacceptable – and this moment demands leaders across our country to end the violence and calm rising tensions,” Nez said in a statement. “That’s why I am so disturbed that Congressman Crane is calling for more incitement and escalation.”
While Congressman Crane is calling on the federal government to increase tensions, other conservative Republicans, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, have called on the federal government to “recalibrate” its enforcement actions – putting Crane outside even the most conservative elements of his own party.
Nez said he believes in secure borders and keeping our communities safe. However, he disagrees with the tactics being used by federal agents used to combat unchecked immigration.
“I don’t believe in masked, heavily armed, and undertrained federal agents targeting American citizens,” Nez said.
“As an Indigenous American and former tribal leader, I am particularly troubled that first Americans, here in Arizona and around the country, have been detained,” Nez continued.
