Eli Crane

Eli Crane, whose full name is Elijah James Crane, was born on January 3, 1980. He is an American politician, businessman, and former United States Navy SEAL. Since 2023, he has served as the U.S. representative for Arizona's 2nd congressional district.

Crane belongs to the Republican Party. He was first elected to Congress after winning against the Democratic incumbent, Tom O'Halleran, in the 2022 elections for the U.S. House of Representatives in Arizona.

Before he became a politician, Crane served in the United States Navy. He also co-founded a company called Bottle Breacher. This company made special bottle openers from used bullets and these openers had a patriotic design. Bottle Breacher was featured on a 2014 episode of Shark Tank, and Crane later sold the company in 2022.

In 2024, Crane was re-elected to Congress. He won against the Democratic nominee, Jonathan Nez, who was the former president of the Navajo Nation.

Early life and education

Eli Crane was born in Tucson, Arizona and grew up in Yuma. His father worked as a pharmacist. Crane finished Cibola High School in 1998. He later studied sociology at Arizona Western College and the University of Arizona, though he did not finish his studies.

Career

Eli Crane decided to leave college just one week after the September 11 attacks and joined the United States Navy. He served there from 2001 to 2014, becoming a member of the United States Navy SEALs. During his time in the Navy, he was sent on missions five times, and three of those were with the SEALS.

After his military service, Crane started a company called Bottle Breacher, which makes special bottle openers from old bullet casings. He and his wife showed their idea on the TV show Shark Tank, where they got money to help their business from Kevin O'Leary and Mark Cuban. In 2022, Crane sold his company.

U.S. House of Representatives

2022 election

Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona § District 2

In 2022, Eli Crane won the Republican nomination for Arizona's 2nd congressional district. The area had changed and become more supportive of Republican ideas, partly because of adding Prescott. Crane received support from Donald Trump and another Republican leader, Wendy Rogers, before the main vote for his party. He won the vote in August, beating another Republican candidate named Walter Blackman. During his campaign, Crane talked to only a few news outlets that shared his views and did not agree to debate his opponent, Tom O'Halleran.

In the big vote to choose who would represent the district, Crane won by a small margin, getting 54% of the votes compared to O'Halleran's 46%.

Tenure

When deciding who would lead the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023, Crane did not support Kevin McCarthy and was one of a few Republicans who voted against him every time. Later, he also supported removing McCarthy from his leadership role.

Foreign policy

In 2023, Crane voted with 47 other Republicans to ask the president to bring U.S. soldiers home from Syria within 180 days. That same year, he voted to stop sending military help to Ukraine. However, he voted to support Israel after an attack there in 2023.

In early 2026, after a war began involving Iran, Crane said he was worried that more U.S. soldiers might be sent to fight in the Middle East. He said he did not want to limit the president’s ability to handle the situation.

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

Crane was one of the members of Congress who voted against a big money plan called the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.

Conspiracy theories on the Trump assassination attempts

Crane has talked about ideas that are not proven, saying that the people who tried to harm Donald Trump in 2024 might not have acted alone.

Attempted impeachment of federal judge Paul Engelmayer

In February 2025, Crane suggested that a judge named Paul Engelmayer should be removed from his job for making a decision that stopped part of the Trump administration’s plans.

Committee assignments

For the current Congress:

• Committee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence
  • Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability
• Committee on Small Business
  • Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development
  • Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity

Caucus memberships

• Freedom Caucus
• Congressional Western Caucus

Personal life

Eli Crane follows the Protestant faith and lives in Oro Valley, a town in Pima County, Arizona. This area is near another part of Arizona called the 6th congressional district. He is married to Jen Crane, and they have two daughters together.

Crane has also worked as a brand ambassador for Sig Sauer firearms.

Electoral history

2022

Eli Crane was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022. He won against the current representative from Arizona's 2nd district.

2024

Crane is running for re-election in 2024, seeking to continue his work in the U.S. House of Representatives.