Elijah James Crane (born January 3, 1980) is an American politician, businessman, and former

United States Navy SEAL The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main funct ...

serving as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

for Arizona's 2nd congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Crane defeated Democratic incumbent

Tom O'Halleran Thomas Charles O'Halleran (; born January 24, 1946) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2017 to 2023. Beginning his political career as a Republican, he was the Arizona state senator from the 1st district f ...

. Before entering politics, Crane served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

and co-founded Bottle Breacher, which he sold in 2022. The company, which attracted financial support on a 2014 episode of ''

Shark Tank ''Shark Tank'' is an American business Reality television#Investments, reality television series that premiered on August 9, 2009, on American Broadcasting Company, ABC.Hibberd, James (May 10, 2012)Dancing,' 'Bachelor,' and a bigger 'Shark Tank ...

'', produced patriotic themed bottle openers made from used bullets. Crane won reelection in

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

against Democratic nominee

Jonathan Nez Jonathan Nez (born May 26, 1975) is a Navajo politician who served as the 9th President of the Navajo Nation from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as Vice President and as a Navajo Nation Council delegate. Earlier in his career, Nez served as ...

, the former

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation (), also known as Navajoland, is an Indian reservation of Navajo people in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah. The seat of government is located in ...

president.

Early life and education

Crane was born in

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

, and raised in Yuma. His father worked as a

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

. Crane graduated from Cibola High School in 1998. He studied sociology at

Arizona Western College Arizona Western College (AWC) is a public community college in Yuma, Arizona. It offers associate degrees, occupational certificates, and transfer degrees. AWC also offers classes in Dateland, Parker, San Luis, Somerton, and Wellton. Aca ...

and the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

, but did not graduate.

Career

Crane stated that one week after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, he dropped out of college and joined the

. He served in the Navy from 2001 to 2014. He was a member of the

United States Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main func ...

and was deployed five times. Three of the five deployments were with the SEALS. After leaving the military, Crane co-founded Bottle Breacher, a company that manufactures bottle openers made of bullet casings. He and his wife pitched the product on an episode of ''

'' and received investments from

Kevin O'Leary Terrence Thomas Kevin O'Leary (born July 9, 1954), also known as Mr. Wonderful, is a Canadian businessman and television personality. From 2004 to 2014, he appeared on various Canadian television shows, including the business news programs ''Sq ...

and

Mark Cuban Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958) is an American businessman and television personality. He is the former principal owner and current minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and co-owner of 2929 Entertain ...

. Crane sold Bottle Breacher in 2022.

U.S. House of Representatives

2022 election

In 2022, Crane won the Republican nomination for . The district had previously been the 1st, represented by three-term Democrat

. Crane was endorsed by

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

, and additionally accepted the endorsement of far-right Republican

state senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

Wendy Rogers before the date of the primary election. Crane won the August Republican primary, defeating

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...

Walter Blackman Walter Blackman (born 1965/1966) is an American politician who serves as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 7th district. He previously served in the legislature from 2019 to 2023 for District 6, and was the first black Re ...

and others. Crane promoted the

conspiracy theory A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...

that there were "massive amounts of fraud" in the

2020 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and California junior senator Kamala H ...

. Crane called upon the

Arizona State Legislature The Arizona State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Senate. Composed of 90 legislators, the ...

to decertify

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

's victory in the state, and for the

attorney general of Arizona The Arizona attorney general is the General counsel, chief legal officer of the Arizona, State of Arizona, in the United States. This state officer is the head of the Arizona Department of Law, more commonly known as the Arizona Attorney General's ...

to launch a criminal investigation into alleged voter fraud. In the general election, Crane unseated O'Halleran by a 54% to 46% margin.

Tenure

Crane did not support

Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician who served as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 55th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from January until he was Remova ...

for

House speaker The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

, and was one of six Republicans to vote against him on every ballot in the initial speaker election in 2023. In the 15th and final round of voting, Crane dropped his support for a different candidate and voted "present". He would later be one of eight Republicans to support the

removal of Kevin McCarthy On October 3, 2023, the United States House of Representatives voted to remove its speaker, Kevin McCarthy of California, through a motion to vacate filed by Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, a fellow member of the Republican Party. McCart ...

from the speakership.

Foreign policy

In 2023, Crane was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President

to remove U.S. troops from

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

within 180 days. In 2023, Crane voted to cut off all military aid to

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. That same year, he was among 98 Republicans to vote for a ban on

cluster munitions A cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller submunitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill personnel and destroy vehi ...

. Crane voted to provide Israel with support following the

2023 Hamas attack on Israel On October 7, 2023, Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups launched coordinated armed incursions from the Gaza Strip into the Gaza envelope of southern Israel, the first invasion of Israeli territory since the 1948 Arab–Israeli ...

. In a 2025 House subcommittee hearing on U.S. national security featuring "a panel of mostly hawkish experts", Crane quoted

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...

, saying "The United States have no business in making conquests, nor in aspiring to any kind of empire." Crane added, "Does it concern you guys that we're $36 trillion in debt, (with an) annual deficit of $2 trillion as we sit here and talk about the United States' global involvement? Do any of you guys wonder when that tipping point is going to be?"

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

Crane was among the 71 Republicans and 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of the

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 On January 19, 2023, the United States hit its United States debt ceiling, debt ceiling, leading to a debt-ceiling crisis, part of an ongoing political debate within United States Congress, Congress about United States federal budget, federal ...

in the House.

Conspiracy theories on the Trump assassination attempts

On multiple occasions, Crane has promoted conspiracy theories about both the

attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania On July 13, 2024, Donald Trump, then a former president of the United States and presumptive nominee of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in the 2024 United States presidential election, 2024 presidential election, surv ...

in July 2024 and the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Florida in September 2024. For the first attempted assassination, Crane has promoted the conspiracy theory that the gunman did not act alone, and for the second attempted assassination, Crane has promoted the conspiracy theory that the gunman was an "asset" of a foreign adversary.

Impeachment of federal judge Paul Engelmayer

In February 2025, Crane introduced

articles of impeachment An article of impeachment is a documented statement which specifies the charges to be tried in an impeachment trial as a basis for removing an officeholder. Articles of impeachment are an aspect of impeachment processes of many governments that ut ...

against U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer of the

Southern District of New York The Southern District of New York is a federal judicial district that encompasses the counties of New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, and Sullivan. Federal offices or agencies operating in the distri ...

, accusing him of judicial overreach for blocking the

Trump administration Presidency of Donald Trump may refer to: * First presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration from 2017 to 2021 * Second presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration since 2025 See also * ...

Department of Government Efficiency The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is an initiative by the second Trump administration within the federal government of the United States. Its stated objective is to modernize information technology, maximize productivity, and cut ...

(DOGE) from accessing the individual financial records in the Treasury Department of Americans. The following month,

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...

, who leads DOGE, contributed the maximum allowable donation to Crane and other Republicans who supported the impeachment of federal judges who had ruled against the Trump administration.

Committee assignments

For the

118th Congress The 118th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C., on January ...

: * 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 The United States Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs is one of the four subcommittees within the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. Jurisdiction From the House Rules: *''Subcommittee on Disability Assista ...

** Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity

Caucus memberships

Freedom Caucus The Freedom Caucus, also known as the House Freedom Caucus, is a congressional caucus consisting of Republican Party (United States), Republican members of the United States House of Representatives. It is generally considered to be the most Cons ...

* Congressional Western Caucus

Personal life

Crane is

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

. He lives in

Oro Valley, Arizona Oro Valley, incorporated in 1974, is a suburban town located north of Tucson, Arizona, United States, in Pima County. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town is 47,070, an increase from 29,700 in 2000. Dubbed the "Upscale Tech ...

. He is married to Jen Crane and has two daughters. He has served as a brand ambassador for

Sig Sauer SIG Sauer is since the 1970s a combined brand name of several Firearms manufacturing companies, with SIG referring to ''Swiss Industry Group'' originally founded 1853, while the latter part comes from Sauer & Sohn, founded in 1751 in Germany a ...

firearms.

Electoral history

2022

2024

References

External links

Representative Eli Crane
official U.S. House website
Eli Crane for Congress
campaign website * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Crane, Eli 1980 births American gun rights activists American nationalists American Protestants Arizona Republicans Christians from Arizona Living people Protestants from Arizona Right-wing populists in the United States Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona United States Navy SEALs personnel 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives