Susie Lee

Suzanne Marie Lee (née Kelley; born November 7, 1966) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Nevada's 3rd congressional district since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents southern Las Vegas and much of unincorporated Clark County. Early life and education Suzanne Marie Kelley was born and raised in Canton, Ohio, as one of eight children. Her fat...

Suzanne Marie Lee (née Kelley; born November 7, 1966) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Nevada's 3rd congressional district since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents southern Las Vegas and much of unincorporated Clark County. Early life and education Suzanne Marie Kelley was born and raised in Canton, Ohio, as one of eight children. Her father, Warren Kelley, was a Korean War veteran and structural engineer, while her mother, Joan Kelley, was a homemaker. At the age of eight, she had her first job delivering newspapers for The Canton Repository. Lee attended McKinley High School in Canton, where she was on the swim team. She graduated from high school in 1985 and went to college at Carnegie Mellon University. There she earned both her Bachelor of Arts degree in policy management and a Master of Science degree in public management, receiving her master's degree in 1990. 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. In 2011, she became the board chair of Communities in Schools of Nevada, a dropout prevention organization. U.S. House of Representatives Elections 2016 Lee ran for the United States House of Representatives in Nevada's 4th congressional district. 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 Lee ran for Nevada's 3rd congressional district to succeed Jacky Rosen, who retired after one term to run for the United States Senate. Lee won the seven-way primary election with 66.9% of the vote. She defeated Republican nominee Danny Tarkanian in the general election with 52% of the vote. 2020 Lee ran for reelection to a second term. She won the three-way primary election with 82.8% of the vote. She defeated Republican nominee Dan Rodimer in the general election with 48.8% of the vote. 2022 Lee was reelected in the 2022 elections. She defeated Republican April Becker, a lawyer, in the general election with 52% of the vote. 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 Congress. That month, she joined other lawmakers in forgoing her paycheck in solidarity with federal workers affected by the government shutdown of 2019. 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. She also worked with Nevada's congressional delegation to prevent the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste facility from becoming operational. In December, Lee voted in favor of both articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. 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. 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 COVID-19 pandemic. 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. Shortly after, Full House Resorts, a casino company led by Lee's husband, received $5.6 million in loans; 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. In May, Lee voted for the $3 trillion Heroes Act. In 2021, Lee was appointed to House Appropriations Committee during the 117th congressional session. In June, she supported the SAFE Banking Act, which aimed to allow the cannabis industry access to banking services. 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. In November, she voted for the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. In 2023, Lee was appointed to the Appropriations and Natural Resources committees during the 118th congressional session. In September, she helped secure federal funding for Nevada’s water infrastructure, including forty million dollars to improve drinking water quality. In April 2024, she co-sponsored the bipartisan Seniors Securing Access to Vital and Essential Prescription Drugs Act. In 2025, Lee was one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for the Laken Riley Act. In June 2026, Lee was one of 10 House Democrats to sign onto the pro-capitalist, anti-socialist Promise to America following the Democratic congressional primary victories of three candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Committee assignments For the 119th Congress: Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands Caucus memberships New Democrat Coalition Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment Congressional Equality Caucus 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. During their marriage, they owned 17 investment properties, and her husband owned a turboprop plane. She is Roman Catholic. Lee's nephew, Sam Forstag, is the Democratic Party nominee in the 2026 race for Montana's 1st congressional district. Electoral history See also Women in the United States House of Representatives References External links Congresswoman Susie Lee official U.S. House website Campaign website Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress Profile at Vote Smart Appearances on C-SPAN