GOP assemblywoman jumps into race for Lee’s U.S. House seat

Assemblywoman Heidi Kasama, a Republican, announced her bid for the U.S. House seat held by Democratic Rep. Susie Lee, making her the fourth conservative to jump into the competitive congressional race.

Kasama, whose district encompasses the west Las Vegas Valley and includes Summerlin, is an accountant and real estate agent for Berkshire Hathaway Home Services.

In a statement announcing her candidacy Monday, Kasama said she was dissatisfied with the direction the country was headed.“today we see more crime, higher living expenses and uncontrolled health care costs,” Kasama said “Students are graduating with a lack of basic education and are unprepared to enter the workforce. There is a lack of accountability and personal responsibility. This is not the American way of life I grew up in. I will fight hard to change the direction of our country for the sake of my grandchildren and all Nevadans.”

Kasama enters a Republican primary field that includes Steve London, former state Sen. Elizabeth Helgelien and conservative analyst and commentator Drew Johnson.

After Kasama announcing her candidacy, Johnson released a statement accusing Kasama of being a “far-left” liberal who, as director of the political action committee for the National Association of Realtors in 2018, approved financial contributions to Democratic campaigns.

“I’ve made my career fighting for conservative principles as a government watchdog, exposing waste, fraud and abuse of power. So, I look forward to exposing Assemblywoman Kasama’s liberal record in this primary,” Johnson said. “Kasama has always been considered the most liberal Republican in Nevada — a true ‘Republican in Name Only.’”

In her announcement, Kasama said she has been “a voice for bipartisan, common-sense policies.”

Lee has raised the most of any candidate running for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District, roughly $1.1 million as of June 30, according to Federal Election Commission records. That compares to $120,787 for Johnson and $109,619 for Helgelien.

Lee, who was first elected to Congress in 2018, bested Republican challenger April Becker in 2022 by about 10,000 votes, or 3.96 percentage points.