Summer Lee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Summer Lee
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Official portrait, 2023
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 12th district |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Mike Doyle (redistricting) |
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 34th district |
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| In office January 1, 2019 – December 7, 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Paul Costa |
| Succeeded by | Abigail Salisbury |
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| Born | November 26, 1987 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic Socialists of America (until 2021) |
| Education | Pennsylvania State University (BA) Howard University (JD) |
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| Website | |
Summer Lynn Lee (born November 26, 1987) is an American politician and community organizer. Since 2023, she has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district. Her district includes most of the city of Pittsburgh and some of its eastern suburbs.
In 2022, Lee made history by becoming the first Black woman ever elected to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Congress. Before this, she was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2019 to 2022. There, she was the first Black woman to represent Southwestern Pennsylvania in the state's legislature.
Lee is a member of the Democratic Party. She is known for her connection to "The Squad," a group of young, progressive Democrats in Congress.
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Early Life and Schooling
Summer Lee grew up in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. She went to Woodland Hills High School.
After high school, she attended Pennsylvania State University. She graduated in 2009 with a degree in journalism. Later, she went to law school at Howard University and earned a law degree in 2015. After finishing her studies, she helped with Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign in 2016.
Political Career
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In 2018, Lee decided to run for a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. She ran against Paul Costa, who had held the position for a long time.
Lee's campaign focused on talking directly to people in her community. This is often called grassroots campaigning. Her hard work paid off, and she won the primary election with 67.8% of the vote. She ran unopposed in the main election and took office in 2019.
U.S. House of Representatives
2022 Election
In 2021, Lee announced she would run for the U.S. Congress. The representative for her area, Mike Doyle, was retiring.
The Democratic primary election in May 2022 was very close. At first, her opponent, Steve Irwin, was ahead. But after all the votes were counted, Lee won by about 740 votes.
In the general election in November 2022, Lee faced Republican Mike Doyle (a different person from the retiring Democrat). She won the election and officially became a U.S. Representative.
2024 Election
In 2024, Lee ran for reelection. She faced a challenge in the Democratic primary from Bhavini Patel. Lee won the primary with over 60% of the vote, which allowed her to run in the general election.
Views on Important Issues
As a member of Congress, Summer Lee votes on many laws and shares her opinions on important topics.
Economy
In 2023, Lee was one of 46 Democrats who voted against a bill about the national budget called the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. She said she was concerned about how the bill was created.
Gun Control
Lee supports stronger gun control laws. After scary fake threats at two Pittsburgh schools in 2023, she said that children shouldn't have to live in fear. She believes that the large number of guns in the country contributes to this fear.
She also spoke out when two lawmakers in Tennessee were removed from their positions for protesting against gun violence. She said that politicians should focus on protecting people, not politics.
Infrastructure
Lee has called for more safety rules for railroads. This came after a train owned by Norfolk Southern went off the tracks in Pittsburgh in April 2023. She supports new laws in Congress to make the railroad industry safer, especially for trains carrying dangerous materials.
Israel and Palestine
Lee has often spoken about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. She has signed letters asking the U.S. government to help reduce violence in the region. She also supports protecting the human rights of Palestinian children and families.
In 2023, she voted against a resolution that supported Israel after an attack by the group Hamas. Lee condemned the attack but also called for a ceasefire to stop the fighting. She has also accused Israel of committing war crimes.
TikTok
Lee has shown support for the social media app TikTok. She has called it a useful tool for organizing and communicating with people. She voted against a bill that could have led to the app being banned in the United States.
Personal Life
Summer Lee lives in Swissvale, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh.
See also
- List of African-American United States representatives
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
