GOP Candidate John Lee Earns Trump’s Endorsement in Congressional Race

Former President Donald Trump has endorsed GOP candidate John Lee over primary challenger David Flippo in Nevada’s fourth Congressional District (CD-4). Trump announced his endorsement last night on Truth Social.

Lee was the former Mayor of North Las Vegas for eight years and served for 14 years in the state legislature. Lee ran for Governor in 2022, losing to Governor Joe Lombardo in the GOP primary. Lombardo has also endorsed Lee in his bid for congress. Should Lee advance in the primary, he will face Rep. Steven Horsford.

Thank you, Mr. President! I am honored to have your endorsement and look forward to working with you to save our incredible country! pic.twitter.com/W7eU95AvzG

— John Lee (@MayorJohnLee) June 3, 2024

Lee is credited for saving North Las Vegas from the brink of bankruptcy and revitalizing the city by attracting new businesses to the area. Lee was a Democrat while serving in the state legislature but switched to the Republican Party in 2021.

In his congressional campaign announcement, Lee said that he “believes it’s time for a change in leadership in Washington…to fix our nation’s economy which has been destroyed by the disastrous policies implemented by President Biden and Steven Horsford.”

“Just as I revitalized North Las Vegas, I’m committed to using the same expertise and conservative principles to rescue our country from the economic challenges we’re facing,” Lee remarked. “It’s time for someone to represent our district who understands the needs of our community and has a track record of fixing the most complex problems, not creating them.”

Rep. Horsford campaigned with Rep. Maxine Waters over the weekend in Las Vegas at a block party sponsored by the Nevada Democratic party. Horsford is an ardent supporter of President Biden, voting with Biden 100 percent of the time.

Horsford assumed congressional office in 2019 and was the first black U.S. House Representative from Nevada and the first black leader of the Nevada State.

During his reelection campaign in 2022, Horsford’s ex-wife Dr. Sonya Douglass, accused him of bullying, intimidation and violence on social media. Her tweets refers to a demand from Horsford and his attorney that she sign a NDA that would ban her from speaking about “my 22 year marriage, his 10-year affair, and our divorce FOREVER.”

At the time, Douglass told The Globe, “I wish someone would explore further why Steven, the elected official in all of this, has not been held to account. He’s never apologized publicly to me, his children, our family, or his constituents.”

Despite the controversy, Horsford won reelection by five percentage points against Republican challenger Sam Peters.

According to 538, Democrats have a 3.9 percent advantage in the district which includes most of northern Clark County (including downtown Las Vegas), southern Lyon County, most of Lincoln County, and all of Esmeralda, Mineral, and Nye counties.