Susie Lee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNevada's3rd district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Jacky Rosen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Suzanne Marie Kelley (1966-11-07)November 7, 1966 (age 58) Canton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Carnegie Mellon University (BA,MS) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website |
Suzanne Marie Lee (néeKelley; born November 7, 1966)[1] is an American politician who has served as theU.S. Representative forNevada's3rd congressional district since 2019.[2] A member of theDemocratic Party, she represents southernLas Vegas and much of unincorporatedClark County.
Suzanne Marie Kelley[3] was born and raised inCanton, Ohio, as one of eight children.[4] Her father, Warren Kelley, was aKorean War veteran and structural engineer, while her mother, Joan Kelley, was ahomemaker.[4] At the age of eight, she had her first job delivering newspapers forThe Canton Repository.[4]
Lee attendedMcKinley High School in Canton, where she was on the swim team.[4] She graduated from high school in 1985 and went to college atCarnegie Mellon University.[4] There she earned both herbachelor of arts degree in policy management and amaster of science degree in public management,[5] receiving her master's degree in 1990.[3]
After moving toLas Vegas in 1993, Lee became a founding director of the city's chapter of theInner-City Games, now known as the After-School All-Stars, which conducts after-school programs for children.[5] In 2011, she became the board chair of Communities in Schools of Nevada, a dropout prevention organization.[6][7]
Lee ran for theUnited States House of Representatives inNevada's 4th congressional district.[8] She lost the primary toRuben Kihuen by 19 points, placing third behind former state assemblywomanLucy Flores, who received 25.6% of the vote.
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Lee ran forNevada's 3rd congressional district to succeedJacky Rosen, who retired after one term to run for theUnited States Senate.[9][10] Lee won the seven-way primary election with 66.9% of the vote.[11] She defeated Republican nomineeDanny Tarkanian in the general election with 52% of the vote.[12]
Lee ran for reelection to a second term.[13] She won the three-way primary election with 82.8% of the vote.[14] She defeated Republican nomineeDan Rodimer in the general election with 48.8% of the vote.[15]
Lee was reelected in the2022 elections.[16] She defeated Republican April Becker, a lawyer, in the general election with 52% of the vote.[17]
Lee was reelected in the2024 elections. She defeated RepublicanDrew Johnson, political columnist, policy analyst, and former think tank founder and executive, in the general election with 51% of the vote.
Lee was sworn into Congress on January 3, 2019, and was appointed to theEducation and Labor and theVeterans' Affairs committees during the116th congressional session.[18] That month, she joined other lawmakers in forgoing her paycheck in solidarity with federal workers affected by thegovernment shutdownof 2019.[19] In February, she co-sponsored theRaise the Wage Act, which aimed to gradually increase thefederal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2024.[20] She also worked withNevada's congressional delegation to prevent theYucca Mountain nuclear waste facility from becoming operational.[21][22] In December, Lee voted in favor of botharticles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.[23]
In 2020, Lee sponsored the bipartisan LWCF Permanent Funding Act to secure full and permanent funding for theLand and Water Conservation Fund, which supports outdoor recreation and conservation efforts.[24] In March, she joined Nevada's congressional delegation to push for financial relief for the state's tourism industry, which was hit hard by thecoronavirusoutbreak.[25] The following month, they also sought federal aid toNevada's gaming industry, successfully securing regulatory changes that allowed smallgaming businesses to apply forPaycheck Protection Program loans.[26] Shortly after,Full HouseResorts, a casino company led by Lee's husband, received $5.6 million in loans;[27] Lee stated she had no role in the decision to apply for the loan despite holding with her husband several million dollars in company stock.[28][26] In May, Lee voted for the $3 trillionHeroes Act.[29]
In 2021, Lee was appointed to HouseAppropriations Committee during the117th congressional session.[30] In June, she supported theSAFE Banking Act, which aimed to allow thecannabis industry access to banking services.[31] During the year, Lee failed to properly disclose over 200 stock trades worth $3.3 million, which her office attributed to clerical errors. An outside legal ethics expert found no evidence of intentional violations of disclosure rules.[32] In November, she voted for the bipartisanInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.[33]
In 2023, Lee was appointed to theAppropriations andNatural Resources committees during the118th congressional session.[34] In September, she helped secure federal funding for Nevada’s water infrastructure, including forty million dollars to improve drinking water quality.[35] In April 2024, she co-sponsored the bipartisan Seniors Securing Access to Vital and Essential Prescription Drugs Act.[36]
In 2025, Lee was one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for theLaken Riley Act.[37] That same year she was appointed to theCommittee on Appropriations[38] and theCommittee on Natural Resources.[39]
Lee lives inLas Vegas with her two children. She and her former husband, casino executiveDan Lee, announced their divorce in May 2021.[40] During their marriage, they owned 17 investment properties, and her husband owned a turboprop plane.[41] She isRoman Catholic.[42]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Susie Lee | 25,474 | 66.9 | |
| Democratic | Michael Weiss | 3,115 | 8.2 | |
| Democratic | Eric Stoltz | 2,758 | 7.2 | |
| Democratic | Jack Love | 2,208 | 5.8 | |
| Democratic | Richard Hart | 1,847 | 4.9 | |
| Democratic | Steve Schiffman | 1,338 | 3.5 | |
| Democratic | Guy Pinjuv | 1,331 | 3.5 | |
| Total votes | 38,071 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Susie Lee | 148,501 | 51.9 | |
| Republican | Danny Tarkanian | 122,566 | 42.8 | |
| Libertarian | Steve Brown | 4,555 | 1.6 | |
| Independent | David Goossen | 3,627 | 1.3 | |
| Independent American Party (Nevada) | Harry Vickers | 3,481 | 1.2 | |
| Independent | Gil Eisner | 1,887 | 0.7 | |
| Independent | Tony Gumina | 1,551 | 0.5 | |
| Total votes | 286,168 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Susie Lee (incumbent) | 49,223 | 82.8 | |
| Democratic | Dennis Sullivan | 5,830 | 9.8 | |
| Democratic | Tiffany Watson | 4,411 | 7.4 | |
| Total votes | 59,464 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Susie Lee (incumbent) | 203,421 | 48.8 | |
| Republican | Dan Rodimer | 190,975 | 45.8 | |
| Libertarian | Steve Brown | 12,315 | 2.9 | |
| Independent American | Edward Bridges III | 10,541 | 2.5 | |
| Total votes | 417,252 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Susie Lee (incumbent) | 36,919 | 89.7 | |
| Democratic | Randy Hynes | 4,239 | 10.3 | |
| Total votes | 41,158 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Susie Lee (incumbent) | 131,086 | 51.9 | |
| Republican | April Becker | 121,083 | 48.0 | |
| Total votes | 252,169 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Susie Lee (incumbent) | 33,901 | 91.8 | |
| Democratic | RockAthena Brittain | 3,036 | 8.2 | |
| Total votes | 36,937 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Susie Lee (incumbent) | 191,304 | 51.4 | |
| Republican | Drew Johnson | 181,084 | 48.6 | |
| Total votes | 372,388 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNevada's 3rd congressional district 2019–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 216th | Succeeded by |
| Territorial (1861–1864) |
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| One at-large seat (1864–1983) |
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| Districts (1983–present) (3rd district established in 2003) (4th district established in 2013) |
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| People | |
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| Other | |
