Former Yavapai County Supervisor Jack Smith will face incumbent Eli Crane in the Republican primary to represent Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District.
Smith served on the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors until 2019. President Donald Trump then tapped him for the position of state director of the Department of Agriculture's Rural Development program.
Smith has worked for Arizona's Department of Administration and Yavapai College since.
Crane has represented the district since 2022 when he beat out longtime representative Democrat Tom O’Halleran after redistricting altered the district's political makeup.
The winner of the GOP primary will face former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, a Democrat.
The 2nd Congressional District stretches across much of northern and eastern Arizona, including all of Coconino, Yavapai, Navajo, Apache and Gila counties. It also includes parts of Pinal, Graham, Maricopa and Mohave counties.
The Cook Political Reportsays the district leans Republican by about six points.