Before January 2023, Arizona's 2nd district was located in the southeastern corner of the state and included Cochise and eastern Pima counties, drawing most of its population from the city of Tucson.

Arizona gained a third seat after the 1960 census, and the 2nd was cut back to roughly the southern third of the state, stretching border-to-border from New Mexico to California.

The unusual division was not, however, drawn to favor politicians, but was due to historic tensions between the Hopi and the Navajo Native American tribes.

Since tribal boundary disputes are a federal matter, it was long believed inappropriate to include both tribes' reservations in the same congressional district.

During the 2008 Super Tuesday Arizona Democratic primary, the district was won by Hillary Clinton with 54.52% of the vote, while Obama received 35.62% and John Edwards took in 7.43%.

In the 2014 midterms, the district was the last U.S. House race in the country to be decided, as the official recount began on December 1 due to Republican Martha McSally leading incumbent Democratic congressman Ron Barber by fewer than 200 votes.

The main irrigated crops are cotton, wheat, corn, grain, sorghum, alfalfa, hay, apples, peaches, cherries, grapes, pistachios, pecans, lettuce, chili peppers, and other vegetables.

Tourism is an important industry as the district has numerous natural wonders, national forests, parks, and conservation areas.

Other prominent tourist attractions include Lake Powell, Sedona, Meteor Crater , and the self-proclaimed "World's Oldest Rodeo".