A Republican group linked to President Donald Trump began airing an attack ad on Friday targeting Jonathan Nez, the former president of the Navajo Nation and Democrat running against Rep. Eli Crane (R-Arizona).
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The one problem with the ad? It misidentified Nez twice, using a photo of Myron Lizer, Nez’s vice president of the Navajo Nation and a prominent Republican surrogate.
In both instances, the ad from Never Going Back PAC, a group tied to Trump’s political operation, shows Lizer’s photo on screen while displaying Nez’s name.
“Arizona can’t afford Jonathan Nez,” the screen reads next to a photo of Lizer.
The ad uses a correct photo of Nez once when it accuses the Democrat of being “backed by liberal politicians pushing higher taxes.”
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Lizer is a prominent Republican in the Navajo Nation and ran for Congress in 2022. He has helped Republicans try to win over Native American voters and spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention.
A spokesperson for Never Going Back PAC said the initial ad was an error and that the group has corrected it. The group reposted the ad with the correct images of Nez.
According to AdImpact, the group plans to spend more than $650,000 in the district covering Arizona’s vast Northeast corner. Trump won the district by 15 percentage points in 2024, but the race is now considered competitive. Trump will hold a campaign rally in Arizona next week, visiting a county that Crane shares with another Republican congressman.
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