Where do the candidates for Nevada's most competitive House seat stand on the issues?

With House Democrats well-positioned in congressional races across the country, Nevada's 3rd Congressional District is one of the Republicans' top targets.

There, Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) is defending her Las Vegas-based seat, facing off against video game composer Marty O'Donnell (R). Lee is favored to win re-election, but O'Donnell has invested millions in his campaign and has support from the national party, including President Donald Trump. 

The Nevada Independent asked the candidates to share where they stand on key subjects that have dominated national policy debates — including the SAVE America Act, immigration enforcement, tariffs, foreign policy and health insurance changes — as well as on solutions to America's fiscal problems and on efforts to unlock more of Nevada's federal land.

The candidates were given the option to participate in an interview with The Nevada Independent or fill out a form rating their level of agreement with each statement from 1 (Yes) to 5 (No). The Nevada Independent defines 2 as "Mostly yes," 3 as "In the middle" and 4 as "Mostly no."

Lee answered questions in a phone interview. O'Donnell completed the form. 

Read details about the candidates' policy positions below. 

SAVE America Act

Undocumented immigrants

Tariffs

Iran

Israel

Affordable Care Act subsidies

Medicaid work requirements

Raising the Social Security retirement age

Raising federal taxes

Clark County lands bill

1. Congress should pass the SAVE America Act.

Lee: No. "The Constitution has set up that elections should be administered by the states," Lee said. She called the bill "an attempt by the Trump administration to disenfranchise millions of Americans," pointing out that about 21 million Americans lack the proof of citizenship documents that the bill would require to register to vote. She noted that it would disproportionately impact rural Americans who would have to travel long distances to register and women whose married names don't match their birth certificates. 

O'Donnell: Yes. 

2. All undocumented immigrants should be deported.

Lee: No. Lee noted her support for the Dignity Act, a bipartisan immigration reform bill that aims to strengthen border security and provide earned pathways to legal status for many individuals, including Dreamers. "I want to be very clear," she added, "if you're here illegally and you commit a crime, you should be deported. But we've seen blanket, indiscriminate terrorizing of our immigrant communities here in Nevada." 

O'Donnell: Mostly yes. "All illegal immigrants who have committed additional crimes while in the United States should be deported which is a reversal of the Biden-era policy that Susie Lee enabled," O'Donnell wrote.  

3. President Trump's tariffs have harmed Nevada.

Lee: Yes. Lee blamed tariffs for the sharp decline in Canadian tourists visiting Las Vegas last year and the general tourism slump, as well as for higher home costs.

O'Donnell: Mostly no. "President Trump uses tariffs as a form of diplomacy to level the playing field on trade or to protect our national security," O'Donnell wrote. "While there may have been a short time of less-than-ideal circumstances, in the long run, his trade policies will bring jobs back to our country, help American businesses thrive overseas, and protect us here at home."

4. America's ongoing war in Iran is worth the costs.

Lee: No. Lee said that Trump chose the war without consulting Congress and noted that she voted against it multiple times. "My fear is it's going to become an endless war," she said, adding that she's "all for reining in the terrorist country of Iran," but "the goalpost seems to always be moving." She pointed out that gas prices have risen significantly since the war began.

O'Donnell: Mostly yes. O'Donnell has previously said he would vote to authorize the war. "President Trump is ending a forever war that was started under [President] Jimmy Carter," he wrote. "Iran can never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and I applaud the President for taking the steps necessary to prevent that."

5. The United States should reduce its support for Israel.

Lee: No. "The U.S.-Israel alliance must continue to remain strong," Lee said. "Under our agreements, we need to make sure that the U.S. supports Israel in getting to the ultimate goal of fostering a long-term peace in the region." She added, "We cannot turn a blind eye to some things that are happening in Gaza and in the West Bank, but the U.S. has an imperative to ensure that Israel can defend itself."

O'Donnell: No. O'Donnell has repeatedly stressed the importance of a strong relationship with Israel. 

6. Congress should reinstate Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies.

Lee: Yes. Lee co-sponsored a bipartisan bill to extend the tax credits and that her State of the Union guest was a woman whose health insurance premiums rose from a monthly $85 last year to $745 per month this year. She also mentioned how, before the ACA, her dad was laid off at 56 and "never really got long-term employment" with health coverage again. Her parents had high blood pressure, making insurance prohibitively expensive. Just before her mom turned 65, she had a heart attack, leading to a $80,000 hospital bill — equivalent to the value of their house. They managed to negotiate it down, but "no one should have to be afraid that they're going to lose their house if they have an illness," Lee said. 

O'Donnell: No. O'Donnell noted that the enhanced subsidies were temporary measures enacted during the pandemic. "Reinstating these subsidies won't fix our healthcare system that Democrats broke," he wrote. "Their policies have driven costs up and insurers out of markets. We need to get serious about reforming the system, not trying to duct tape the broken system together for the short term."

7. I support the 80-hour monthly work requirements for Medicaid eligibility enacted last year.

Lee: Lee did not give a clear yes or no answer, but noted that she "voted against the Big Beautiful Bill that cut Medicaid in order to get tax breaks to millionaires." She added, "I'm all for addressing fraud in Medicaid," but said the One Big Beautiful Bill Act attempted to do so by harming "some of the most vulnerable Nevadans." 

O'Donnell: Yes.

8. Congress should raise the Social Security retirement age above 67.

Lee: No. "Obviously we have an issue with Social Security," Lee said. She supports solutions that don't involve cutting benefits, such as means testing — "you protect your low earners, but the way you grow benefits for higher earners tapers off."

O'Donnell: No. O'Donnell's campaign website emphasizes the need to address the national debt to avoid leaving social safety nets "with giant holes in them."

9. Congress should raise federal tax rates.

Lee: No. "I support policies like no tax on tips and no tax on overtime," Lee said.

O'Donnell: No. O'Donnell previously signed a pledge to oppose all income tax hikes. 

10. I support Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Rep. Susie Lee's (D-NV) Clark County lands bill.

Lee: Yes. Lee said her bill follows the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act model Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has praised, offering conservation and development. She said that model makes selling land "a transparent process" and ensures the money "gets reinvested into Nevada in the terms of building parks and green spaces and trails and things that all of us benefit from."

O'Donnell: Mostly yes. "We need to unlock federal land for development, but we should do it over a shorter period of time than this bill allows," O'Donnell said. He criticized the half a century Democrats have said it would take to develop 25,000 acres. "Fifty years is far too long if we are going to get serious about building the housing supply needed to bring down rents and the cost to buy a home."