Review-Journal endorsement: Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District

Only about three dozen U.S. House seats are considered competitive this cycle. Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District is among them and will help determine control of the lower chamber.

Rep. Susie Lee, a Democrat, has represented the district since 2019. She won re-election in 2020 by 3 percentage points and retained her seat two years later by 4 points. CD3 features the smallest Democratic registration advantage of the state’s three congressional districts that include parts of Clark County.

Republicans selected Drew Johnson to challenge Rep. Lee. Mr. Johnson is a policy analyst for free-market think tanks who moved to Las Vegas about nine years ago. “My job is to advance liberty on as wide a platform as possible,” he said. He is a devotee of the Ronald Reagan school of fiscal conservatism, favoring fewer regulations, low taxes and spending restraint. Mr. Johnson says his background will be an asset to attacking the debt.

Mr. Johnson articulates a pragmatic approach to immigration. Close the border, but “speed up the process for hard-working people who will come to this country and be law-abiding citizens.”

While Rep. Lee wants to force Americans into electric vehicles, Mr. Johnson wants a more balanced approach to green energy. That includes tapping “the fuel we have under our feet.” Contrary to Rep. Lee’s television advertisements, Mr. Johnson said he does not support a federal ban on abortion. On education, he proposes minimizing federal involvement in local schools and encouraging states to create “as many options and opportunities as possible.”

Rep. Lee touts her record of “bipartisanship.” She says her priorities if re-elected would be immigration reform and lowering housing costs. Both she and Mr. Johnson favor the release of more federal land in Nevada for development. She acknowledges that “spending is a problem” in Washington and says that Congress should ensure that “corporations pay their fair share.” Rep. Lee points to bills on water recycling, mobile health care and geothermal energy development as examples of her “dedication to making this community a better place.”

Rep. Lee has been a loyal adherent to the Biden economic agenda that brought soaring inflation and escalating energy costs, crippling many American families and triggering sticker shock at the supermarket checkout counter and gasoline pump. She favors no limits on abortion, supports compulsory unionism for Nevada workers and backs amending the Bill of Rights to give federal bureaucrats the power to regulate political speech.

Rep. Lee is more than capable. But Mr. Johnson’s passion for free markets, personal liberty and fiscal responsibility are urgently needed as Beltway politicians become numb to annual $2 trillion deficits and a national debt of $34 trillion. We urge a vote for Drew Johnson.