Rep. Eli Crane, a Republican from Arizona, successfully navigated a primary challenge on Tuesday, aiming to associate his opponent with former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whom Crane voted to oust last year.
Crane faced a contest for the Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District seat against Jack Smith, a former Yavapai County Board of Supervisors member.
Crane was among the eight Republicans who supported McCarthy’s removal last year, and reports indicate that Smith received indirect financial backing from McCarthy’s supporters for his challenge against the freshman representative.
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Crane painted Smith as a candidate supported by the D.C. “swamp.”
Rep. Eli Crane (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
According to The Arizona Republic, Crane stated in a fundraising email, “Kevin McCarthy recently recruited an ambitious guy named Jack Smith to primary me. Nobody in the district asked him to run, just a corrupt swamp creature who’s bitter that he lost his grip on power.”
Smith accused Crane of betraying the GOP with his votes and criticized him for not participating in a debate. He also dismissed any similarities to the former speaker, claiming he had never met him.
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In response, Smith remarked, “If you want to just throw at me that I’m a McCarthy guy, that’s great. I would happily join with Kevin McCarthy if he wanted to join the team to help us get some reality back to the district,” as reported by the Republic.
The primaries were initially set for August 6 but were rescheduled by the legislature to allow additional time for vote counting in the event of a recount.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on October 3, 2023. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Arizona is pivotal, with several House and Senate races – along with the presidential election – likely to be decided by narrow margins.
In the state legislature, Republicans maintain a slim majority, but Democrats are aiming to capture both chambers.
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The most closely watched contest is to replace Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who will not seek another term.
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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