Education advocate joins field challenging Rep. Cresent Hardy

By Conor Shine

Thursday, May 28, 2015 | 10:10 a.m.

The field of Democratic candidates running to take back Nevada’s 4th Congressional District next year continues to grow. Las Vegas education advocate Susie Lee announced today that she’s entering the race.

Lee, who for the last five years has served as president of the board for the nonprofit Communities in Schools of Nevada, is the third Democrat to challenge Republican Rep. Cresent Hardy, joining state Sen. Ruben Kihuen and former Assemblywoman Lucy Flores.

Hardy rode a Republican surge at the polls last year to a surprise upset of incumbent Democrat Steven Horsford, and Democrats are anxious to recapture the seat.

The 4th District covers a diverse area that includes northern portions of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and parts of six rural counties.

National Democrats had pushed for Lee to take on Rep. Joe Heck in the 3rd Congressional District. Nobody has announced plans to challenge Heck.

That race could be even more wide open if Heck chooses to run to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Harry Reid next year.

Lee’s nonprofit fundraising skills, background in education, personal wealth and connections to Las Vegas’s elite should make her a competitive candidate.

Lee’s husband, Daniel Lee, was briefly CEO of the Palms and before that ran Pinnacle Entertainment. He is now in charge of Las Vegas-based regional gaming company Full House Resorts.

Lee also has ties to philanthropist Elaine Wynn, who helps fund the state branch of Communities in Schools and is president of the Nevada Board of Education.

Lee described herself as a “bipartisan problem solver” in her announcement today and said she was “frustrated by the partisan gridlock in Washington that does nothing to help families here at home.”

In addition to education, Lee said, local job creation and retirement security would be top priorities if she’s elected to Congress.

Lee was the founding director of the nonprofit After-School All-Stars in 1995, which provides after-school activities and enrichment programs.

She was named president of the board at Communities in Schools of Nevada in 2010 and has since led the organization, which serves 44,000 students in 43 schools statewide. Its goal is to improve graduation rates by providing support to children at risk of dropping out.