In the months after securing her second term in Congress last year, Democratic Rep. Susie Lee’s campaign announced more than $600,000 in first quarter fundraising Monday, raising her cash on hand to nearly $500,000. 

Lee, who represents the swingy District 3 in Clark County has for years been among the top congressional fundraisers in Nevada as she has sought to win or defend her seat in two competitive elections. But her reported tally last quarter tops the same period in 2019, when she reported a haul of $450,000.

Her cash on hand also exceeds the first quarter of 2019, when she reported roughly $408,000 in her campaign war chest. 

The total falls short of Lee’s peak fundraising during the height of the election cycle last year, though; she reported raising more than $700,000 in the second quarter of 2020. 

Lee’s campaign touted “grassroots support” in the announcement Monday, noting a median contribution of $23.50 from more than 1,200 donors. However, until campaign finance documents filed to the Federal Election Commission are made public later this week, it remains unclear what percentage of Lee’s total came from small-money donors, or whether contributions came in response to certain events, such as the Jan. 6 insurrection or the inauguration of President Joe Biden. 

In a 2020 election when House Democrats took a drubbing nationwide, losing 13 seats even as Biden won the White House, Lee won her own race for District 3 by nearly 3 percentage points — far more than the 0.2 percent winning margin secured in the district by Biden.

District 3, among the most competitive House seats in the country, will likely remain a target for Republicans next year, even amid possible efforts by Democrats to firm up advantages in the district through the coming redistricting process. With more than a year to go before the 2022 primary, two Republican candidates — Mark Robertson and April Becker — have already announced bids for the seat.