Susan C. Lee
72nd Secretary of State of Maryland
Assumed office
January 18, 2023
Acting: January 18, 2023 – February 13, 2023
GovernorWes Moore
Preceded byJohn C. Wobensmith
Member of the Maryland Senate
from the 16th district
In office
January 14, 2015 – January 18, 2023
Preceded byBrian Frosh
Succeeded byAriana Kelly
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 16th district
In office
February 21, 2002 – January 13, 2015
Serving with
Preceded byNancy Kopp
Succeeded byMarc Korman
Personal details
Born (1954-05-14) May 14, 1954
San Antonio, Texas
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Bethesda, Maryland
EducationUniversity of Maryland, College Park (BA)
University of San Francisco (JD)
Signature

Susan Clair Lee (Chinese: 李鳳遷; pinyin: Lǐ Fèngqiān; born May 14, 1954) is an American politician. She has served as the 72nd Maryland Secretary of State since 2023. She was previously a member of the Maryland State Senate from 2015 to 2023, and of the Maryland House of Delegates from 2002 to 2015. She represented District 16, which is located in Montgomery County, and was the first Asian American elected to the Maryland State Senate and the first Asian American woman and first Chinese American to be elected to the Maryland legislature.[1][2]

Early life and education

Lee was born in San Antonio, Texas. She grew up in Montgomery County and attended Winston Churchill High School. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland College Park before graduating from the University of San Francisco School of Law. She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the California State Bar.[1] Before becoming a state legislator, Lee was an attorney in private practice, having previously worked as an attorney for the United States Commission on Civil Rights and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.[2] She was also the co-chairwoman of the Montgomery County NAACP Multicultural Community Partnership.[3]

In the legislature

On February 19, 2002, Governor Parris Glendening appointed Lee to the Maryland House of Delegates following the election of Nancy Kopp as Treasurer of Maryland.[3] This appointment came after a recommendation by the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee, on which she sat.[4] She was sworn in on February 21[1] and was subsequently elected to her first full term in 2002.[5] She was re-elected in 2006[6] and 2010.[7]

Lee's 2014 State Senate campaign logo

In August 2013, Lee announced that she would run for the Maryland Senate, seeking to succeed state senator Brian Frosh, who ran for Attorney General of Maryland in 2014.[8] She won the Democratic primary with 85.1 percent of the vote,[9] and later won the general election with 70 percent of the vote.[10] Lee was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 14, 2015. Since November 2018, she has served as the Senate majority whip.[11]

Committee assignments

Maryland House of Delegates
  • Member, Judiciary Committee, 2002–2015 (member, gaming law & enforcement subcommittee, 2002–2003; civil law & procedure subcommittee, 2003–2006; chair, juvenile law subcommittee, 2007–2011; chair, family law subcommittee, 2011–2015)
  • Deputy Majority Whip, 2003–2015
  • Member, Joint Committee on Access to Mental Health Services, 2011–2014
Maryland Senate
  • Majority Whip, 2019–2023
  • Deputy Majority Whip, 2017–2018
  • Member, Judicial Proceedings Committee, 2015–2023
  • Joint Committee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Biotechnology, 2015–2023
  • Executive Nominations Committee, 2019–2023
  • Legislative Policy Committee, 2020–2023

[1]

Maryland Secretary of State

On January 10, 2023, Governor-elect Wes Moore named Lee to serve as the Maryland Secretary of State. She took office in an acting position on January 18, and is the first Asian American person to serve as the Maryland Secretary of State.[12][13] On February 14, the Maryland Senate unanimously approved Lee's nomination.[14]

In September 2023, Lee said that her office would consider removing former President Donald Trump from the primary election ballot under the Fourteenth Amendment, and would make a decision on the matter by January 22, 2024.[15][16][17]

Political positions

COVID-19 pandemic

Between late May and June 2020, Lee virtually met four times with representatives from the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, and the Maryland Judiciary. These meetings resulted in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee releasing a report with 19 recommendations to help the state's correctional systems navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]

In March 2021, Lee rebuked disparaging statements made by former president Donald Trump regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, in which phases like "Kung Flu" and the "China virus" stoked racism toward Asian communities.[19][20] Later that month, after CNN aired a clip showing senior Hogan health advisor and then-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Robert R. Redfield saying he believed the COVID-19 virus "escaped" from a lab in China in September or October of 2019, Lee took to the floor of the Maryland Senate to condemn Redfield's comments and suggested that Asian-Americans could be targeted because of his remarks.[21][22]

Crime and policing

During the 2020 legislative session, Lee introduced a bill that would require prosecutors to disclose whether facial recognition or DNA profiling were used during the criminal investigation of a case. The bill was withdrawn after its first hearing.[23] She also introduced a bill that would make it a crime to possess ransomware with the intent to use it, with sentences up to 10 years in prison and or a $10,000 fine, following a ransomware attack that froze government computers in Baltimore.[24]

During the 2021 legislative session, Lee introduced a bill that would repeal the prohibition on prosecuting sexual crimes against a victim who is the spouse of the assailant.[25] The bill unanimously passed out of the Maryland Senate and passed the Maryland House of Delegates by a vote of 115-18.[26]

Development initiatives

In January 2020, Lee criticized the proposed Capital Beltway and Interstate 270 expansions, telling The Washington Post, "So far the state's top-down kind of planning [on the toll lanes] has disregarded any dialogue about some of the financial risks, the risk to our environment, the risk to our communities, and to our businesses and to our quality of life".[27] She also introduced a bill that would give counties the ability to block state toll projects.[28]

Gun control

During the 2019 legislative session, Lee introduced a bill that would ban privately made firearms in Maryland.[29] The bill was reintroduced during the 2022 legislative session,[30] during which it passed the House of Delegates and the state Senate, and became law without Governor Hogan's signature.[31][32] Following the bill's passage, she was invited to the White House by U.S. President Joe Biden,[32] where he announced a new United States Department of Justice rule regulating privately made firearms.[33]

During the 2020 legislative session, Lee introduced a bill that would require background checks for private sales of long guns.[34] The bill passed the Maryland Senate by a vote of 31-14 and the Maryland House of Delegates by a vote of 87-47,[35] but was vetoed by Governor Hogan on May 7, 2020.[36] The Maryland General Assembly voted to override the governor's veto on February 9, 2021.[37]

Immigration

In June 2018, following national outcry about the Trump administration's family separation policy, Lee called on Maryland counties to "stop taking blood money from ICE" to detain immigrants. At the time, only three counties (Frederick, Howard, and Worcester counties) had facilities for detaining immigrants that were used by ICE.[38]

National politics

Lee (left) at a Hillary Clinton campaign event, 2016

In April 2015, Lee endorsed U.S. Representative Chris Van Hollen in the 2016 United States Senate election in Maryland.[39] In November, she endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for president.[40]

Social issues

In February 2004, Lee criticized a bill that would have defined marriages in Maryland as the union of a man and woman, saying before a House Judiciary Committee hearing, "These bills are inflammatory, they are divisive and they promote intolerance to a large portion of our population".[41] In February 2006, Lee voted against a bill that would amend the Maryland Constitution to ban same-sex marriage in the state. The bill failed to pass by a vote of 61-78.[42] In 2012, she voted for the Civil Marriage Protection Act, which passed out of the Maryland House of Delegates by a vote of 72-67.[43]

During the 2020 legislative session, Lee introduced a bill that would codify the right to abortion access. The bill was withdrawn in the final week of the legislative session, which was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.[44]

During the 2021 legislative session, Lee introduced a bill that would have granted adoptees above the age of 18 access to their original birth certificates. The bill failed to pass out of the state Senate by a vote of 16-31.[45] She also introduced a bill that would have required family law judges to undergo a minimum of 60 hours of training on child abuse investigations, implicit bias in custody decisions, parental alienation, and qualifications for child abuse evaluators and treatment providers.[46]

Taxes

In November 2007, Lee voted in favor of House Bill 2, which raised individual and corporate income tax provisions, and House Bill 5, which increased the state sales tax, car titling tax, and hotel tax.[47]

Electoral history

Maryland House of Delegates District 16 Democratic primary election, 2002[48]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Marilyn R. Goldwater (incumbent) 14,197 30.5
Democratic Susan C. Lee 12,710 27.3
Democratic William A. Bronrott (incumbent) 12,681 27.3
Democratic Charles Chester 4,990 10.7
Democratic Karen Kuker-Kihl 1,903 4.1
Maryland House of Delegates District 16 election, 2002[49]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Marilyn R. Goldwater (incumbent) 31,440 25.5
Democratic Susan C. Lee 30,201 24.5
Democratic William A. Bronrott (incumbent) 30,069 24.4
Republican Charles Stansfield 13,574 11.0
Republican Daniel Farhan Zurbairi 12,438 10.1
Independent John Horan Latham 5,322 4.3
Write-in 109 0.1
Maryland House of Delegates District 16 election, 2006[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Marilyn R. Goldwater (incumbent) 33,249 25.1
Democratic Susan C. Lee (incumbent) 33,064 25.0
Democratic William A. Bronrott (incumbent) 33,004 25.0
Republican Robert F. Dyer 11,504 8.7
Republican Angela M. Markelonis 10,924 8.3
Republican Mike Monroe 10,433 7.9
Write-in 98 0.1
Maryland House of Delegates District 16 election, 2010[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William Frick 29,813 24.3
Democratic Susan C. Lee (incumbent) 28,768 23.4
Democratic Ariana Kelly 28,341 23.1
Republican Jeanne Allen 13,553 11.0
Republican Carol G. Bowis 11,619 9.5
Republican Meyer F. Marks 10,678 8.7
Write-in 157 0.1
Maryland Senate District 16 Democratic primary election, 2014[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Susan C. Lee 12,196 85.1
Democratic Hugh Hill 1,911 13.3
Democratic J'aime Drayton 231 1.6
Maryland Senate District 16 election, 2014[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Susan C. Lee 28,603 70.0
Republican Meyer Marks 12,208 29.9
Write-in 53 0.1
Maryland Senate District 16 election, 2018[50]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Susan C. Lee (incumbent) 48,822 80.1
Republican Marcus Alzona 12,052 19.8
Write-in 61 0.1
Maryland Senate District 16 election, 2022[51]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Susan C. Lee (incumbent) 44,925 97.80
Write-in 1,012 2.20
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Susan C. Lee.
  • Susan Lee for Maryland Senate campaign website
  • Appearances on C-SPAN
  • "Members – Senator Susan C. Lee". mgaleg.maryland.gov. Maryland General Assembly. Retrieved January 10, 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Susan C. Lee, Secretary of State". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. January 22, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Susan C. Lee, J.D." Who's Who of Asian Americans. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Attorney appointed to fill Kopp vacancy". The Baltimore Sun. February 19, 2002. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  4. ↑ Pagnucco, Adam (December 15, 2022). "The Iron Law of Oligarchy". Montgomery Perspective. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  5. ↑ Cottman, Michael H. (September 5, 2002). "Now, More Minorities On Ballot". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Official 2006 Gubernatorial General Election results for Legislative District 16". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  7. 1 2 "Official 2010 Gubernatorial General Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  8. ↑ Wagner, John (August 6, 2013). "Susan Lee to seek Brian Frosh's Senate seat in Montgomery County". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  10. 1 2 "Official 2014 Gubernatorial General Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  11. ↑ Kurtz, Josh (November 30, 2018). "More News From the State Senate". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  12. ↑ Wintrode, Brenda (January 10, 2023). "Gov.-elect Moore appoints Sen. Susan Lee as secretary of state". Baltimore Banner. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  13. ↑ Bohnel, Steve (January 10, 2023). "Moore taps state Sen. Susan Lee as Md.'s first Asian American secretary of state". Bethesda Magazine. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  14. ↑ Janesch, Sam (February 14, 2023). "Maryland Senate confirms half of Gov. Wes Moore's cabinet, more advance toward confirmation". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  15. ↑ Hogan, Jack (September 6, 2023). "Trump's place on primary ballot in Maryland 'under consideration,' secretary of state says". The Daily Record. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  16. ↑ Griffin, Elia (September 15, 2023). "Secretary of State expounds on consideration to remove Trump from Maryland's election ballots". MoCo360. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  17. ↑ Reilly, Steve; Mathur-Ashton, Aneeta; Klasfeld, Adam (September 11, 2023). "At Least 6 States' Elections Officials May Consider Their Power to Disqualify Trump in 2024". The Messenger. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  18. ↑ Gaskill, Hannah (August 12, 2020). "Senators Release Recommendations to Protect Md. Prisoners From COVID-19". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  19. ↑ Shwe, Elizabeth (March 20, 2021). "In Wake of Atlanta Killings, Md. Leaders Implore Asian Communities to Speak Out". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  20. ↑ Wood, Pamela (March 17, 2021). "Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says he's 'horrified' by Atlanta killings". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  21. ↑ DePuyt, Bruce; Gaskill, Hannah (March 26, 2021). "Redfield's Statements About Virus Origins, Senator's Comments During Immigration Debate Draw Sharp Rebuke". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  22. ↑ Stole, Bryn (June 8, 2021). "Top Maryland Republicans demand apology over Redfield 'lab leak' rebukes, rekindling controversy". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  23. ↑ Sanchez, Olivia (February 9, 2020). "Gov. Larry Hogan provides funding for Capital Gazette shooting memorial, renamed 'Defenders of the First Amendment Memorial'". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  24. ↑ DePuyt, Bruce (January 14, 2020). "Baltimore Ransomware Attack Inspires State Legislation". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  25. ↑ Seif, Kimberly (March 30, 2021). "Bill to repeal spousal defense for sexual crimes moves to Maryland House of Delegates". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Legislation - SB0250". Maryland General Assembly. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  27. ↑ Shaver, Katherine (January 29, 2020). "Maryland toll lane critics push bill to require counties' consent on new projects". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  28. ↑ DePuyt, Bruce (January 19, 2020). "Lawmakers Seek Local Veto Power of Toll Road Projects in Md". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  29. ↑ Wood, Pamela (January 31, 2019). "Gun control advocates push to ban build-your-own guns, expand background checks on private sales". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  30. ↑ Wood, Pamela (January 25, 2022). "Maryland advocates push for ban on unregistered 'ghost' guns". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  31. ↑ Domen, John (March 31, 2022). "Gun safety advocates hope to push ghost gun ban into law". WTOP-FM. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  32. 1 2 Gaskill, Hannah (April 8, 2022). "Hogan Allows Ghost Gun Ban to Become Law Without His Signature, Urges Movement on Other Bills". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  33. ↑ Figueroa, Ariana (April 11, 2022). "DOJ Rule Cracks Down on Untraceable Firearms Known as 'Ghost Guns'". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  34. ↑ Sanchez, Olivia (February 4, 2020). "Maryland House of Delegates passes bill requiring background checks for long-gun private sales, moves to Senate". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  35. ↑ "Legislation - SB0208". Maryland General Assembly. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  36. ↑ Spector, Candice (May 8, 2020). "Hogan vetoes bill seeking tighter long guns restrictions". The Star Democrat. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  37. ↑ Witte, Brian (February 9, 2021). "Maryland Senate overrides veto of long gun background checks". Associated Press. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  38. ↑ Cox, Erin; Dresser, Michael (June 19, 2018). "Citing family separation policy, Maryland Gov. Hogan calls back National Guard unit from border". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  39. ↑ Fritze, John (April 14, 2015). "Van Hollen picks up legislative endorsements from Montgomery Co". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  40. ↑ Fritze, John (November 17, 2015). "Hillary Clinton unveils more than 70 Md. endorsements". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  41. ↑ Craig, Tim (February 26, 2004). "Gay Marriage Bills Divide Crowd in Md". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  42. ↑ Brewington, Kelly (February 4, 2006). "House rejects reviving gay marriage measure". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  43. ↑ "How the Md. House voted on same-sex marriage". The Baltimore Sun. February 18, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  44. ↑ Wood, Pamela (September 24, 2020). "Despite lack of protection for abortion access in Maryland Constitution, advocates say state 'solid' in protecting abortion rights". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  45. ↑ Shwe, Elizabeth (March 30, 2021). "Bill That Would've Granted Adoptees Access to Birth Certificates Fails on Senate Floor". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  46. ↑ Gaskill, Hannah (February 25, 2021). "Bill Seeks to Protect Children Against Abusive Parents in Family Court Proceedings". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  47. ↑ Green, Andy (November 13, 2007). "Roll calls on House tax bills". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  48. ↑ "Official Results: Legislative District 16". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  49. ↑ "2002 Gubernatorial General - Official Results". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  50. ↑ "Official 2018 Gubernatorial General Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  51. ↑ "Official 2022 Gubernatorial General Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections.
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