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Susie Lee
American politician (born 1966) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Suzanne Marie Lee (née Kelley; born November 7, 1966)[1] is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Nevada's 3rd congressional district since 2019.[2] A member of the Democratic Party, she represents southern Las Vegas and much of unincorporated Clark County.
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Early life and education
Suzanne Marie Kelley[3] was born and raised in Canton, Ohio, as one of eight children.[4] Her father, Warren Kelley, was a Korean War veteran and structural engineer, while her mother, Joan Kelley, was a homemaker.[4] At the age of eight, she had her first job delivering newspapers for The Canton Repository.[4]
Lee attended McKinley High School in Canton, where she was on the swim team.[4] She graduated from high school in 1985 and went to college at Carnegie Mellon University.[4] There she earned both her Bachelor of Arts degree in policy management and a Master of Science degree in public management,[5] receiving her master's degree in 1990.[3]
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Early career
After moving to Las Vegas in 1993, Lee became a founding director of the city's chapter of the Inner-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]
U.S. House of Representatives
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Elections
2016
Lee ran for the United States House of Representatives in Nevada's 4th congressional district.[8] She lost the primary to Ruben Kihuen by 19 points, placing third behind former state assemblywoman Lucy Flores, who received 25.6% of the vote.
2018
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Lee ran for Nevada's 3rd congressional district to succeed Jacky Rosen, who retired after one term to run for the United States Senate.[9][10] Lee won the seven-way primary election with 66.9% of the vote.[11] She defeated Republican nominee Danny Tarkanian in the general election with 52% of the vote.[12]
2020
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 nominee Dan Rodimer in the general election with 48.8% of the vote.[15]
2022
Lee was reelected in the 2022 elections.[16] She defeated Republican April Becker, a lawyer, in the general election with 52% of the vote.[17]
2024
Lee was reelected in the 2024 elections. She defeated Republican Drew Johnson, political columnist, policy analyst, and former think tank founder and executive, in the general election with 51% of the vote.
Tenure
Lee was sworn into Congress on January 3, 2019, and was appointed to the Education and Labor and the Veterans' Affairs committees during the 116th congressional session.[18] That month, she joined other lawmakers in forgoing her paycheck in solidarity with federal workers affected by the government shutdown of 2019.[19] In February, she co-sponsored the Raise the Wage Act, which aimed to gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2024.[20] She also worked with Nevada's congressional delegation to prevent the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste facility from becoming operational.[21][22] In December, Lee voted in favor of both articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.[23]
In 2020, Lee sponsored the bipartisan LWCF Permanent Funding Act to secure full and permanent funding for the Land 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 the coronavirus outbreak.[25] The following month, they also sought federal aid to Nevada's gaming industry, successfully securing regulatory changes that allowed small gaming businesses to apply for Paycheck Protection Program loans.[26] Shortly after, Full House Resorts, 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 trillion Heroes Act.[29]
In 2021, Lee was appointed to House Appropriations Committee during the 117th congressional session.[30] In June, she supported the SAFE Banking Act, which aimed to allow the cannabis 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 bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.[33]
In 2023, Lee was appointed to the Appropriations and Natural Resources committees during the 118th 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 the Laken Riley Act.[37]
Committee assignments
For the 119th Congress:[38]
Caucus memberships
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Personal life
Lee lives in Las Vegas with her two children. She and her former husband, casino executive Dan Lee, announced their divorce in May 2021.[41] During their marriage, they owned 17 investment properties, and her husband owned a turboprop plane.[42] She is Roman Catholic.[43]
Electoral history
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See also
References
External links
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