Incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom O’Halleran is facing a tough race in his new district, AZ-02, because redistricting made it considerably more red. It’s now rated R+6 and Likely R. Trump would have won the new district by 8 points. Blue Dog Democrat Tom O’Halleran will take on Republican Eli Crane, a Navy veteran who has never held office. Crane was a featured speaker last year at a rally protesting the “political prisoners” of the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Rep. Tom O’Halleran has a proven track record of working across the aisle to get things done. He believes Congress has a responsibility to put aside partisan politics and work together to solve the problems affecting America and Arizona.
HIS BACKGROUND
Rep. O’Halleran is the oldest of Virginia and Frank O’Halleran’s three children. He was raised on a dairy farm and started working full-time on the farm when he was only nine. When the family lost its farm during the Great Depression, O’Halleran’s father found work in a steel foundry before becoming a janitor. O’Halleran’s mother was raised in a large working-class family in Chicago and worked as a secretary at times. Rep. O’Halleran’s parents urged him to study hard and serve the community through the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.
In 1966 at 20 years old, O’Halleran joined the Chicago Police Department, where he was an officer and then a sergeant in a special operations unit. O’Halleran was later commissioned to be one of the youngest homicide investigators in the city’s history. He served with distinction—receiving three department commendations and over 30 other awards.
In 1979, Rep.O’Halleran became a member of the Chicago Board of Trade, where he opened up his own business and served two terms on the Exchange’s board of directors. He chaired or was vice chair of the Exchange’s finance, floor operations, and planning committees. In 1994, Rep.O’Halleran became a consultant on the design and integration of technology for financial trading floors. His work included planning for the future needs of clients and collaboration between various exchanges to integrate new trading practices.
Upon retirement, Rep.O’Halleran and his wife Pat moved to Arizona. Never one for sitting still, O’Halleran became involved in local issues, first as an advocate for Yavapai County, and cities and towns of the Verde Valley, to the state legislature, focusing on natural resource and education issues. He took up the call for new leadership in the state legislature and was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives with broad support. He served three consecutive terms as a State Representative followed by a term as a State Senator. While serving in the legislature, Rep.O’Halleran received over 40 awards for his distinguished service from organizations that supported advancement in public education, child protective services, water conservation, and healthcare for Arizona seniors.
He was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2016.
ON THE ISSUES
Rep. O’Halleran has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood and sponsored the Women’s Health Protection Act. When the Dobbs decision was handed down he said, “Today, I am furious, disappointed, crestfallen. This decision goes back on half a century of legal precedent; it is a mammoth setback for women, families, and our entire nation. My 16-year-old granddaughter will now have fewer rights than my wife had in the 1970s. I firmly support a woman’s right to choose and believe that health care decisions should lie solely between a woman and her doctor.”
Rep. O’Halleran has a 100% voting record with the League of Conservation Voters and has been endorsed by them, “Representative O’Halleran has been a champion for protecting clean water and natural resources for tribal nations and all Arizonans both in and out of the state legislature and Congress. He understands the challenges facing Arizona’s outdoor economy, including climate change, and is a strong proponent for investing in clean energy for all.”
Rep. O’Halleran has been named a “gun sense” candidate by Moms Demand Action for his support of universal background checks and other common-sense gun reforms. He recently voted for the bipartisan Safer Communities Act saying “as a former police officer who carried a gun and a law-abiding citizen who owns guns, I voted in favor of this bipartisan bill that will protect kids and families. These measures make sense, do not infringe on Second Amendment rights, and they will make a real difference in the violence we see permeating our communities.”
