Lee, Rodimer duking it out for 3rd Congressional District seat

The battle for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District is expected to be the closest federal race on the state’s ballot and has already proven to be the most contentious, with both candidates unleashing a torrent of attack ads in August and September.

The fireworks between incumbent Rep. Susie Lee, a Democrat, and Republican challenger Dan Rodimer show no signs of letting up, as Lee has plenty of money in the bank and outside groups on both sides have already earmarked millions in future advertisements to tip the scales in a district designed to swing between the two parties.

Lee, as she has since winning the seat in 2018, is marketing herself as a practical politician focused on compromise with both parties in order to push bills across the finish line.

In recent weeks, she has also stepped up the attacks against Rodimer’s character and legal history. She’s hit him with ads highlighting a previous battery charge in Florida, lawsuits against his former development business and 911 calls from his now-wife alleging domestic violence in 2018.

Rodimer, unlike most other campaigns in Nevada, has been actively campaigning in person, with a small event or two each day for weeks now. His pitch focuses on bringing jobs back to Nevada, allowing school choice, supporting law enforcement and highlighting his public support from President Donald Trump.

He has also been fond of attacking Lee, claiming she is closely allied to her party’s more liberal leadership and accusing Lee of unethical behavior, as her husband’s casino business benefited directly from a change to the Paycheck Protection Program that Lee lobbied hard for.

Two other candidates also will be on the ballot: Libertarian Steve Brown and American Independent Ed S. Bridges II.

Brown, chair of the Clark County Libertarian Party, received 1.6 percent of the vote in the 3rd District in 2018. He is campaigning but did not call during a scheduled interview time for this story before its publication deadline.

It is unclear how actively Bridges is campaigning. He did not respond to multiple interview requests.

Lee’s bipartisan pitch

In an interview with the Review-Journal, Lee highlighted her recent efforts to bring both her own party’s leadership and Republicans back to the bargaining table on a fifth coronavirus relief bill.

She said she worked in a similar fashion to get previous stimulus packages through Congress, as well as previous bills aimed at helping senior citizens, veterans and education funding.

“I’ve worked with members of both parties to lower health care costs, provide more support for our schools and, more importantly now, provide a lifeline to our community during this crisis,” Lee said.

She noted that Democrats worked to cut $1 trillion from the HEROES Act in order to get relief to families during the pandemic.

However, Lee said providing tangible results for constituents during the pandemic is now even more important than demonstrating her bipartisanship. Congress must work to secure more funding for the state and local governments and replenish unemployment benefits for the thousands in her district currently out of work, she said.

Expansion of rapid testing for the virus would be a good way to ensure safety while reopening the state’s decimated economy, Lee said. Congress must also legislate continued support for small businesses.

Lee has run a mostly online campaign and has proven a prolific fundraiser, pulling in more than $3.2 million with $2.4 million left on hand as of the end of June. Rodimer has raised about $889,000 with $254,000 left on hand.

Exchanging attacks

Asked about her ads targeting Rodimer, a former professional wrestler, Lee said it was important for voters to know exactly who he is.

“He has demonstrated a long pattern of violence,” Lee said. “Part of his slogan is to hit Washington with a folding chair. He has no background that qualifies him to hold public office, and I actually believe his long history of violence and fraud disqualifies him for the seat and will let voters know that.”

In 2018, Rodimer’s then-girlfriend, Sarah Duffy, called 911 two separate times after arguments with Rodimer. He was never charged with a crime.

From 2010-13, Rodimer was accused of assault three times in separate Florida incidents. In 2010, he pleaded guilty to battery and attended an anger management course in exchange for the court dropping the charge.

The fraud Lee mentioned refers to some nine lawsuits from 2002-11 against a development business run by Rodimer, including seven-figure fraud allegations from WWE star Randy Orton. It is not clear whether Rodimer was found to be at fault in any of these lawsuits.

Asked about Lee’s assertions, Rodimer said he had never been convicted of any crime, and the attacks were simply not true.

Rodimer said the only person in the race currently under investigation is Lee, whom he said committed “public corruption” when her husband, Full House Resorts CEO Dan Lee, took $5.6 million in PPP loans after Lee and Nevada’s delegation successfully lobbied for gaming businesses to become eligible for the assistance.

When asked who or what is investigating Lee over these allegations, Rodimer’s campaign did not respond.

Lee has called this criticism “partisan” in nature, noting that the change in PPP rules resulted in saving some 40,000 businesses and 500,000 jobs in Nevada. She said she has no involvement in Full House’s business and had no influence over the government’s approval of the loans.

When pressed further about whether voters may find the accusations against him disturbing, Rodimer said he was being smeared because “outside Washington groups know they can not defend Susie Lee’s scandalous record.”

He previously stressed that he and his wife, Sarah, have built a strong family life as parents of five children, with a sixth on the way.

The campaign even circulated a response to the 911 calls reportedly from Sarah Rodimer to supporters, titled “Democrats are attacking my family.”

“Dan was a professional wrestler, of course, so he is a fighter,” the response said. “He has always fought for his family, including me and our five kids … . He has always fought for justice, and he will fight just as hard to win this election and then for all of our Nevada families.”

Rodimer has also accused Lee of insider trading, a reference to a Review-Journal story noting a trust managed on behalf of Lee made favorable stock trades just before the coronavirus ravaged the market. Lee said at the time the trust is handled by a money manager, and she has no influence over what trades are made.

Both Lee and Rodimer have said they are open to debating one another, and negotiations with several TV networks are underway.

Rodimer the outsider

The Republican challenger’s pitch to voters has been molded to slightly mirror Trump’s, as Rodimer is campaigning as a political outsider coming from a private business background. He and his wife own a vegan taco shop in Las Vegas.

Rodimer said his candidacy and Lee’s have many stark difference, most notably in the economy, education and public safety areas.

“I want to bring back jobs and manufacturing to the U.S., and she wants to keep the economy shut down,” he said. “I want less regulation and less taxes, and she wants more.”

Rodimer has long been a local proponent of school choice, or vouchers from the government that allow parents to take funding earmarked for their child’s public school education and spend it on private school instead.

He said Lee sends her own children to private school, but “does not believe it should be available for Las Vegas families who are more middle class.”

In response, Lee’s campaign said Rodimer’s plan would cut funding for already underfunded public education institutions.

Both Lee and Rodimer are trumpeting dueling endorsements from a dizzying array of law enforcement groups.

Lee is backed by the Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers and Nevada Law Enforcement Coalition.

Rodimer was endorsed by the Public Safety Alliance of Nevada, which, according to the coalition’s website, splintered off from the law enforcement coalition.

Both the alliance and coalition claim on their websites and social media to have 10,000 law enforcement members. The coalition endorsed mostly Democrats in the cycle, with the alliance backing Rodimer and Trump.

In appearances and interviews, Rodimer has expressed supreme confidence in victory despite facing an incumbent with a voter registration advantage and a massive fundraising lead.

“She will not win re-election,” Rodimer said. “Voters want someone who will look out for their interests like I would. I would look out for Nevadans first. Susie Lee looks out for herself first.”

Contact Rory Appleton at rappleton@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0276. Follow @RoryDoesPhonics on Twitter.