North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee takes questions from students during a virtual leadership assembly at the Somerset Academy, a charter school in North Las Vegas, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. Lee was the featured speaker.
Published Sunday, May 16, 2021 | 9:02 p.m.
Updated Monday, May 17, 2021 | 1:38 p.m.
CARSON CITY — North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee is running for governor of Nevada as a Republican. He formally announced his candidacy on Monday to replace Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak.
"I’m proud to kick off my campaign for governor of Nevada because Nevadans deserve a leader who will put Nevada values first, not the liberal, radical agenda we see today from Steve Sisolak," Lee said in a statement.
Lee said he plans to focus his campaign on "embracing small government, defending free speech, protecting unborn life, and supporting the right to bear arms."
Sisolak campaign spokesman Jim Ferrence issued a statement saying that after leading Nevada through the pandemic, the governor "is completely focused on re-opening Nevada’s economy, putting shots in arms, and bigger paychecks in workers’ pockets."
In an interview, Lee faulted Sisolak for failing to speak out against a shift in leadership in the Nevada State Democratic Party, in which a slate of candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America were elected to most of the party’s top leadership spots.
“I never saw him one time stand up to them or say to them we're not going down this path here," Lee said.
He said he disagreed with Sisolak's handling of the pandemic, calling statewide shutdown measures imposed and restrictions “draconian” for Nevada's rural counties that are more isolated than the counties that include Las Vegas and Reno.
“By allowing his decision to treat everyone the same, I think he's destroyed a lot of the state for the next four years," Lee said.
Lee’s run in the 2022 election was widely expected after a heavily-publicized switch in political parties early this year.
After the announcement, Lee embarked on a tour of Nevada’s 17 counties to test the campaign waters, though he remained coy if it he was going to run.
“There’s a lack of leadership in this state right now and I’m being told about it from a lot of places, and I’m concerned about it,” Lee said in a past interview when asked about his plans.
Lee has been the mayor of North Las Vegas since 2013, running for and winning the seat after serving in the state Assembly from 1997-2001 and in the state Senate from 2004-2012.
Lee is the first Republican to announce his 2022 plans.
Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo has previously indicated he’s considering running, while Northern Nevada U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei and former Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchinson have also been floated as potential candidates.
The official filing dates are not until March 2022.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
