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 been the U.S. representative for Arizona's 2nd congressional district.

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

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

In 2024, Crane was re-elected to Congress. He won against the Democratic candidate, 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, but he did not complete his studies.

Career

Eli Crane left college one week after the September 11 attacks to join the United States Navy. He served from 2001 to 2014 and became a member of the United States Navy SEALs. During his time in the Navy, he went on five missions, three of them with the SEALS.

After leaving the Navy, Crane started a company called Bottle Breacher. This company makes special bottle openers from old bullet casings. He and his wife shared their idea on the TV show Shark Tank. They received 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. He received support from Donald Trump and Wendy Rogers. Crane won the vote in August, beating another Republican candidate named Walter Blackman. In the big vote, Crane won by a small margin, getting 54% of the votes compared to Tom 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 voted against him every time. Later, he 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.

Attempted impeachment of federal judge Paul Engelmayer

In February 2025, Crane suggested that a judge named Paul Engelmayer should be removed from his job.

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 the 6th congressional district of Arizona. He is married to Jen Crane, and they have two daughters.

Crane has 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. He wants to continue his work in the U.S. House of Representatives.