Democratic congressional candidate Jonathan Nez said he would work to ensure Maricopa receives and retains transportation funding if elected.

The former Navajo Nation president is back on the campaign trail as he seeks to win Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District in 2026, following a loss last year to Republican Rep. Eli Crane. Infrastructure, Nez said, will be a central focus of his campaign.

During a visit yesterday to meet with the Ak-Chin Community Council, Nez pointed to ongoing congestion issues along State Route 347, citing his own commute to the meeting.

“There is bumper to bumper traffic every single day on this route,” he opined to InMaricopa, adding that Ak-Chin Chairman Gabriel Lopez “said he believes that there’s one accident every day, so it’s a public safety issue.”

Nez criticized Crane for what he described as a lack of action on infrastructure, claiming the congressman has “yet to use one penny” of millions of dollars in available federal funding for road or water projects within the district.

Crane has previously acknowledged his cautious approach. During a 2023 virtual town hall, he told InMaricopa that while he is “definitely willing to support” roads and infrastructure projects, fiscal responsibility and avoiding pork-barrel spending remain priorities.

In both 2024 and 2025, Crane met with Maricopa city councilmembers in his Washington, D.C., office to discuss bonds and grant opportunities for infrastructure projects, including improvements to SR 347.

Beyond criticizing his opponent, Nez said meetings like the one with Ak-Chin leaders help him better understand the localized concerns of the district’s more than 820,000 residents. Those issues include veteran services, water resources and proposed data center developments.

“At the end of the day, I think we all want a better life — better quality of life — for our children and grandchildren,” said Nez, a Flagstaff resident. “I’m going to work hard to do just that. People are saying it’s not getting any better, and they see that happening under the current congressman’s oversight.”