Incumbent Susie Lee (D) and April Becker (R) are running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Gary Martin wrote, “Nevada’s Congressional District 3 is…seen by national Republicans as one of their best opportunities to flip the seat because of President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings and national economic woes. Democrats, however, are confident in their chances to hold the seat because of recent legislative victories to lower health care costs for seniors and with a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a 50-year constitutional right for women to have an abortion.”
Lee, who previously worked for education organizations focused on after-school programming and dropout prevention, was first elected in 2018. Lee has campaigned on bipartisanship, protecting access to abortion, and diversifying Nevada’s economy. On bipartisanship, Lee said, “I think that people in Congressional District 3 are craving a pragmatic type of leader who’s not afraid to roll up their sleeves to reach across the aisle and work on tough issues and deliver results.” She pointed to her work alongside Republican and Democratic House members on the Problem Solvers Caucus, and her support for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, which President Joe Biden (D) signed in November 2021. On abortion, Lee said, “I support all women across this country having access to safe, legal abortions if they choose to have one. I respect the voters of Nevada who protected reproductive rights in our state over two decades ago.”
Becker is an attorney who owns a law practice. Becker has campaigned on education, reducing inflation, and securing the southern border by completing construction of a border wall. On education, Becker said, “school choice is a common-sense approach that allows children to escape failing schools.” Becker also said that funding for “bureaucrats and failed programs should immediately be reallocated directly to schools so we can pay teachers more.” Becker said government spending is the reason for elevated rates of inflation and said the solution is to “stop spending money we don’t have.” Becker said she is “a pro-life mom, with exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother,” and would oppose a federal ban on abortion.
The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 118th Congress. All 435 House districts are up for election. As of November 1, 2022, Democrats held a 220-212 majority in the U.S. House with three vacancies. Republicans need to gain a net of five districts to win a majority in the chamber.
Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 52.4% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 45.7%.