LAS VEGAS — In Nevada, “Desperado” is not only the name of a roller coaster at Buffalo Bill's Hotel and Casino, but also the word used by three-term Democratic Rep. Susie Lee, her Republican opponent in Nevada's 3rd Congressional District, to describe a “desperate man” on Wednesday.
That person is Drew Johnson, a think tank veteran who came close to winning a powerful Clark County Council seat in 2022.
Johnson has been campaigning aggressively, calling Lee “the most corrupt senator since Menendez was kicked out of the Senate,” referring to the disgraced former New Jersey senator who resigned after being convicted on federal bribery charges.
“She's very self-serving. She has over 200 instances of violating stock laws,” Johnson said, referring to a 2012 law that bars members from trading on inside information.
He said of Rep. Lee, “There is example after example of insider trading where she used the knowledge she gained during her time in Congress to make hundreds of thousands, and in some cases millions, of dollars for herself and her family. … She came into Congress wealthy and has gotten even wealthier.”
Johnson said he would not own any individual stocks if elected to Congress.
Her Republican challenger's campaign sponsored roadside posters and even launched a website documenting her record. Home page.
Lee's “desperate” comments lasted just 58 seconds in a Washington Post interview at a promotional event for Harris-Waltz in Las Vegas. The campaign had not responded to interview requests from reporters before the event.
An Emerson College poll of likely voters conducted in late August showed Lee leading Johnson by 13 points.
But Johnson said Lee could face damage if voters scrutinize his record.
“She's made everyone in this district worse off with her taxes, her spending policies, her extreme views on energy policy that have increased gas prices and, frankly, everything that we buy,” he said in an interview.
Johnson said the perception that Lee is a “bipartisan” lawmaker — a term he used in an interview with The Washington Post on Wednesday — is not supported by his voting record.
“She lives in a very purple, very moderate, very entrepreneurial district, and in the 117th Congress, she voted for Biden 100% of the time, voted for Pelosi 99% of the time, and voted for 'Squad' members 92% of the time,” he continued.
He said Lee rarely appears in the district when Congress is not in session and prefers to spend winter holidays at his family's vacation home in Sun Valley, Idaho.
“Her service to constituents has been awful,” Johnson charged. Small business owners, veterans and seniors with Social Security issues who call her office are almost always met with a slow response, if any at all.”
Speaking to The Washington Post, Lee defended his record.
“During my three elected terms, I have delivered for our community, 140,000 jobs, $4.8 billion in investment in our community, good paying jobs and more.”
Lee also said he was “fighting to lower housing prices” and claimed he was ranked among the most bipartisan members of Congress, though The Post could not independently verify this.
Johnson said voters from all walks of life told his campaign that the economy and immigration were key issues during 24,000 door-to-door visits in his district. He believes he is on the right side of those issues and that if Republicans can increase turnout and collect mail-in ballots early, they can win.
