Democratic Rep. Susie Lee faces off against Republican April Becker in Nevada's 3rd Congressional District election

Rep. Susie Lee has attacked her challenger April Becker for being "pro-life." Becker said she does not support a nationwide abortion ban.

• Rep. Susie Lee is running against Republican April Becker in Nevada's 3rd Congressional District.
• The 3rd District is located in the southernmost tip of Nevada. 
• Abortion has become a focal point of the race. 

Democratic Rep. Susie Lee faces Republican newcomer April Becker in Nevada's 3rd Congressional District.

Nevada's 3rd Congressional District candidates

Lee is a member of the Committee on Education and Labor. In the 1990s, she became the founding director of the Inner-City Games, now know as the After-School All-Stars, which provides thousands of children after-school programs. In 2010, Lee became the president of the board of Communities in School with Nevada, a program designed to lower high school dropout rates. The 55-year-old congresswoman is also a staunch defender of abortion access and has made it a focal point of her campaign.  

Lee defeated her challenger by an 80-point margin in the Democratic primary for Nevada's 3rd Congressional District.

But during the current congressional session, Lee has twice violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012 by failing to properly disclose hundreds of stock trades together worth millions of dollars.

Becker, a political newcomer, was added in February to the slate of "On the Radar" candidates as part of the Young Guns program funded by the National Republican Congressional Committee, the GOP's House campaign arm. The program, spearheaded by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, "helps equip Republican candidates across the country with the tools they need to run winning campaigns." 

The Las Vegas-based real estate attorney won the Republican nomination for Nevada's 3rd District after winning 67.5% of the vote. 

On her campaign website, Becker states she is "pro-life, with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother," a stance for which Lee has attacked her. The Nevada Independent reported that Lee, on multiple occasions, tweeted that Becker "will vote for a nationwide abortion ban." Meanwhile, Becker, in an interview with US News & World Report, said she has no plans to try to overturn abortion rights enshrined in Nevada under a 1990 referendum, and that she does not support a nationwide abortion ban. 

Voting history for Nevada's 3rd Congressional District

Nevada's 3rd Congressional District occupies the southernmost tip of Nevada, including Henderson County and portions of Clark County. 

President Joe Biden had a narrow 0.2 percentage point margin of victory under the district's previous boundaries in 2020 before it was redrawn to concede the eastern part of the tip to the 1st Congressional District in redistricting following the 2020 Census. This changed its partisan lean from Republican to Democratic. 

The money race

According to OpenSecrets, Lee has raised $5.4 million, spent $4.2 million, and has $1.2 million of cash on hand, as of September 30. Her opponent, Becker, has raised $1.9 million, spent $1.3 million, and has $603,818 of cash still left to spend, as of September 30.

Through mid-October, super PACs, national party committees, and other non-candidate groups have together spent nearly $15 million to advocate for or against the candidates. Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican-backing super PAC, accounted for close to half that spending overall.

What experts say

The race between Lee and Becker is rated as "tilt Democratic" by Inside Elections, a "toss-up" by The Cook Political Report, and a "toss-up" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.