Who is Eli Crane? What to know about the Arizona Republican who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy

Arizona's freshman Rep. Eli Crane was among the eight Republican members who voted to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday.

Over the weekend, he and four of his fellow GOP House members from Arizona were among those who voted against a last-minute, short-term budget deal that prevented a partial government shutdown. Crane, a conservative Republican, said he preferred a shutdown to a so-called "continuing resolution" that allowed government spending to carry on unchecked.

Was Eli Crane a Navy SEAL?

Crane was a member of the Navy SEALs, having left the University of Arizona to enlist after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He was deployed five times in his 13 years of naval service, three of them with the SEALs.

His business was featured on 'Shark Tank'

Crane and his wife have two daughters and live near Tucson. After his service in the Navy, he and his wife launched a business called Bottle Breacher, which they later sold, that appeared on the television competition show "Shark Tank."

Crane also served as a brand ambassador for Sig Sauer firearms.

Politics: Andy Biggs, Eli Crane of Arizona among 8 GOP members to boot House speaker Kevin McCarthy

He's been in Congress less than a year

Crane was elected in 2022 to his first term, winning a competitive Republican primary in the newly drawn 2nd Congressional District. Aided by the endorsement of President Donald Trump, Crane edged out Republican Walt Blackman in that race.

The primary Crane won also included Ron Watkins, a man involved in perpetuating the QAnon conspiracy theories. Watkins came in seventh in that race.

Crane ousted an incumbent House Democrat

Crane defeated incumbent Democrat Tom O'Halleran in the general election that year, with the newly redrawn district heavily favoring Republicans.

The sprawling district now includes Apache, Coconino, Graham, Greenlee and Navajo counties and contains parts of Gila, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal and Yavapai counties. It covers parts of the low desert south of Phoenix, widening east to the New Mexico border, then north to Utah and curving back west over Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon.

He's been at odds with Kevin McCarthy from the start

Crane's vote to remove McCarthy, R-Calif., was of little surprise to those who have watched his short political career. He was one of the holdouts back in January that forced McCarthy to face 15 rounds of voting before he landed the speaker position, with Crane and fellow Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., simply voting "present" on the final vote.

He has focused on Native American issues in Congress

Crane has been involved in multiple issues assisting Native American tribes in his district since taking office.

He reintroduced legislation to create a reservation for the San Juan Southern Paiute people, which first was proposed by O'Halleran. The tribe won federal recognition in 1989 and in 2000 signed a deal with the Navajo Nation to create a 5,400-acre homeland, but the treaty needs to be ratified by Congress.

Crane also was involved in helping the Navajo Nation access badly needed gravel pits to shore up dirt roads. Crane wrote to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland about the issue.

And Crane, with Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., introduced the Energy Opportunities for All Act, which would nullify the Interior Department's land withdrawal created around Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, preventing oil and gas leases, which some tribal members opposed.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who is Eli Crane, congressman from Arizona?