Mike Lee (Utah)

Mike Lee

Republican Party

U.S. Senate Utah

Tenure

2011 - Present

Term ends

2023

Years in position

11

Compensation

Base salary

$174,000

Net worth

$111,002

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2016

Education

Bachelor's

Brigham Young University

Law

Brigham Young University Law School

Personal

Religion

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)

Contact

Official website

Official Facebook

Official Twitter

Official Instagram

Official YouTube

Michael Shumway "Mike" Lee (b. June 4, 1971, in Mesa, Ariz.) is a Republican member of the U.S. Senate from Utah. Lee was first elected to the Senate in 2010. Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, Lee served as counsel to former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman.

Lee won re-election in 2016.

First elected to the Senate in 2010, Lee defeated incumbent senator Bob Bennett in the Republican Party caucus. He then secured the Republican Party nomination with a 51-49 percent win over Tim Bridgewater.

He clerked at the United States District Court for the District of Utah and the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, where he clerked for Samuel Alito.

Lee was included on President Donald Trump’s (R) June 2018 list of 25 potential Supreme Court nominees to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the court. Trump first released such a list during his 2016 presidential campaign and stated, “This list is definitive and I will choose only from it in picking future Justices of the United States Supreme Court.”

Biography

Lee earned his bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University and his J.D. from Brigham Young University Law School. After earning his J.D., Lee was a law clerk to Third Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Samuel Alito. He then served as an assistant U.S. attorney and again as a law clerk to Alito on the United States Supreme Court.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Lee's academic, professional, and political career:

• 2011-Present: U.S. Senator from Utah
• 2005-2006: Counsel to Utah Governor John Huntsman

Committee assignments

U.S. Senate

2021-2022

Lee was assigned to the following committees:

• Joint Economic Committee, Ranking Member
• Committee on Aging (Special)
• Committee on the Judiciary
• Subcommittee on The Constitution
• Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
• Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, Ranking member
• Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights
• Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
• Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation
• Communications, Media, and Broadband
• Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security
• Space and Science
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
• National Parks
• Public Lands, Forests, and Mining, Ranking Member
• Water and Power

2019-2020

Lee was assigned to the following committees:

• Joint Economic Committee, Chair
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
• Committee on the Judiciary
• Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

2017-2018

At the beginning of the 115th Congress, Lee was assigned to the following committees:

• Joint Economic Committee
• Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
• Committee on the Judiciary

2015-2016

Lee served on the following committees:

• Armed Services Committee
  • Subcommittee on Airland
  • Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
• Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  • Subcommittee on National Parks
  • Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining
  • Subcommittee on Water & Power, Chairman
• Judiciary Committee
  • Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, Chairman
  • Subcommittee on Immigration and The National Interest
  • Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights and Agency Action
  • Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law
• Joint Economic Committee

2013-2014

Lee served on the following Senate committees:

• Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
  • Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
  • Subcommittee on Personnel
• Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  • Subcommittee on Water and Power
  • Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining
  • Subcommittee on National Parks
• Joint Economic Committee
• Judiciary Committee
  • Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law
  • Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, Ranking Member
  • Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
  • Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law

2011-2012

Lee served on the following Senate committees:

• Judiciary Committee
  • Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Subcommittee Ranking member
• Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  • Water and Power Subcommittee
• Foreign Relations Committee
• Joint Economic Committee

Key votes

See also: Key votes

Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here.

Key votes: 116th Congress, 2019-2020

Key votes: Previous sessions of Congress

Key votes (click "show" to expand or "hide" to contract)

114th Congress The first session of the 114th Congress enacted into law six out of the 2,616 introduced bills (0.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 1.3 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the first session. In the second session, the 114th Congress enacted 133 out of 3,159 introduced bills (4.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 7.0 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. The Senate confirmed 18,117 out of 21,815 executive nominations received (83 percent). For more information pertaining to Lee's voting record in the 114th Congress, please see the below sections. Economic and fiscal Trade Act of 2015 See also: The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, 2015 On May 22, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1314, which was used as a legislative vehicle for trade legislation with the titles "Trade Act of 2015" and the "Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015," by a vote of 62-37. The bill proposed giving the president trade promotion authority (TPA). TPA, also known as fast track authority, allows the president to negotiate trade deals that cannot be amended by Congress. Congress casts a simple up or down vote on a trade agreement, and the legislation only requires a simple majority for approval. The bill also included a statement of trade priorities and provisions for trade adjustment assistance. Lee voted with three other Republican senators against the bill. Trade promotion authority On June 24, 2015, by a vote of 60-38, the Senate approved trade promotion authority (TPA) as part of HR 2146 - Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act. Lee was one of two Republicans who did not vote on the bill. After, Senate Republican leadership honored a pledge to support trade adjustment assistance (TAA) by passing the measure as part of HR 1295 - Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 by voice vote. The House passed HR 1295 the following day, on June 25, 2015, and both TPA and TAA were signed into law on June 29, 2015. 2016 Budget proposal On May 5, 2015, the Senate voted to approve SConRes11, a congressional budget proposal for fiscal year 2016, by a vote of 51-48. The non-binding resolution will be used to create 12 appropriations bills to fund the government. The vote marked the first time since 2009 that Congress approved a joint budget resolution. All 44 Democrats voted against the resolution. Lee voted with 50 other Republican senators to approve the bill. Defense spending authorization On November 10, 2015, the Senate passed S 1356 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 by a vote of 91-3. The second version of the $607 billion national defense bill included "$5 billion in cuts to match what was approved in the budget" and language preventing the closure of the Guantanamo Bay military prison. Lee voted with 47 Republicans, 42 Democrats and one independent to approve the bill. On November 5, 2015, the House passed the bill by a vote of 370-58, and President Barack Obama signed it into law on November 25, 2015. On June 18, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1735 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 by a vote of 71-25. The bill "authorizes FY2016 appropriations and sets forth policies for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, including military personnel strengths. It does not provide budget authority, which is provided in subsequent appropriations legislation." Lee and two other Republicans did not vote. The House passed the bill on May 15, 2015. President Barack Obama vetoed the bill on October 22, 2015. 2015 budget On October 30, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1314 - Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 by a vote of 64-35. The bill increased military and domestic spending levels and suspended the debt ceiling until March 2017. Lee voted with 34 Republicans against the bill. It passed the House on October 28, 2015. President Barack Obama signed it into law on November 2, 2015. Foreign Affairs Iran nuclear deal See also: Iran nuclear agreement, 2015 On May 7, 2015, the Senate voted to approve HR 1191 - A bill to provide for congressional review and oversight of agreements relating to Iran's nuclear program, and for other purposes, by a vote of 98-1. The bill required President Barack Obama to submit the details of the nuclear deal with Iran for congressional review. Congress had 60 days to review the deal and vote to approve, disapprove or take no action on the deal. During the review period, sanctions on Iran could not be lifted. Lee voted with 52 other Republican senators to approve the bill. Senator Tom Cotton (Ark.) was the only Republican who voted against the bill. Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 On September 10, 2015, the Senate voted to filibuster the measure to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal by a vote of 58-42. Sixty votes were needed to proceed to HJ Res 61 - the Hire More Heroes Act of 2015, the legislative vehicle the Senate was expected to use to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal. Lee voted with 53 other Republicans and four Democrats to proceed to the measure of disapproval. Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 follow up votes On September 15, 2015, the Senate voted for a second time to filibuster the measure to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal by a vote of 56-42. Sixty votes were needed to proceed to HJ Res 61 - the Hire More Heroes Act of 2015, the legislative vehicle the Senate was expected to use to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal. Lee voted with 51 Republicans and four Democrats to proceed to the measure of disapproval. The legislation was voted on for a third time on September 17, and it failed for a third time by a vote of 56-42. Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 fourth vote On September 17, 2015, the Senate voted to filibuster a vote on S.Amdt.2656 to S.Amdt.2640 by a vote of 53-45. The amendment proposed prohibiting "the President from waiving, suspending, reducing, providing relief from, or otherwise limiting the application of sanctions pursuant to an agreement related to the nuclear program of Iran." Lee voted with 51 Republicans and one Democrat to proceed to the amendment. Domestic USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 On June 2, 2015, the Senate passed HR 2048 - the Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015 or the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 by a vote of 67-32. The legislation revised HR 3199 - the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 by terminating the bulk collection of metadata under Sec. 215 of the act, requiring increased reporting from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and requiring the use of "a specific selection term as the basis for national security letters that request information from wire or electronic communication service providers, financial institutions, or consumer reporting agencies." Lee voted with 22 Republicans, 43 Democrats and one Independent to approve the legislation. It became law on June 2, 2015. Loretta Lynch AG nomination On April 23, 2015, the Senate voted to confirm Loretta Lynch as United States Attorney General by a vote of 56-43. All 44 Democratic senators voted to confirm Lynch. Lee voted with 42 other Republican senators against Lynch's confirmation. Cyber security On October 27, 2015, the Senate passed S 754 - the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 by a vote of 74-21. The bill proposed procedures that would allow federal agencies and private entities to share information about cyber threats. Lee voted with five Republicans, 14 Democrats and one independent against the bill. Immigration On October 20, 2015, the Senate voted against proceeding to a vote on S 2146 - the Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act by a vote of 54-45. The bill proposed withholding federal funding from "sanctuary jurisdictions" that violate the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 and other federal immigration laws. In addition, the bill proposed increasing "penalties for individuals who illegally reenter the United States after being removed" and providing "liability protection for State and local law enforcement who cooperate with Federal law enforcement." Lee voted with 51 Republicans and two Democrats in favor of proceeding to the bill. 113th Congress The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. The Senate confirmed 13,949 out of 18,323 executive nominations received (76.1 percent). For more information pertaining to Lee's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections. National security John Brennan CIA nomination Lee voted against the confirmation of John Brennan as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 7, 2013, with a vote of 63 - 34. Most Democrats supported the nomination, while Republicans were somewhat divided with roughly one-third supporting the nomination. Drones filibuster See also: Rand Paul filibuster of John Brennan's CIA Nomination in March 2013 On March 6, 2013, Senator Rand Paul (R) led a 13-hour filibuster of President Obama's CIA Director nominee, John Brennan. Paul started the filibuster in order to highlight his concerns about the administration's drone policies. In particular, Paul said he was concerned about whether a drone could be used to kill an American citizen within the United States border without any due process involved. Paul and other civil liberties activists were critical of President Obama for not offering a clear response to the question. A total of 14 senators joined Paul in the filibuster—13 Republicans and one Democrat. Lee was one of the 13 Republican senators who joined Paul in his filibuster. Thirty Republican senators did not support the filibuster. The day after the filibuster, Attorney General Eric Holder sent a letter to Paul, responding to the filibuster. Holder wrote, "Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on U.S. soil? The answer to that is no." Economy Farm bill On February 4, 2014, the Democratic controlled Senate approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill. It passed the Senate with a vote of 68-32. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that will kick in when prices drop; however, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states. Lee voted with 22 other Republican senators against the bill. 2014 Budget On January 16, 2014, the Democratic-controlled Senate approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014. The Senate voted 72-26 for the 1,582 page bill, with 17 Republicans and 55 Democrats voting in favor of the bill. The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations. It increased the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel by 1 percent, increased Head Start funding for early childhood education by $1 billion, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and left the Affordable Care Act without any drastic cuts. Lee voted with 25 other Republican members against the bill. Paul Ryan Budget Proposal In March 2013 the U.S. Senate soundly rejected a balanced budget plan by House Budget Committee chair Paul Ryan (R). Five Republicans joined every Democrat present to kill the measure, which failed on a 40-59 vote. Lee was one of the five Senate Republicans who voted against Ryan's budget proposal. The proposed budget would have cut about $5 trillion over the next decade and aimed to balance the budget by the end of the 10-year period. Some tea party members of the GOP opposed the measure because of its reliance on $600 billion-plus in tax revenues on the wealthy enacted in January 2013, in order to balance the budget. Others in the Senate opposed the Ryan plan because of cuts from safety net programs for the poor and the inclusion of a plan to turn the Medicare program for the elderly into a voucher-like system for future beneficiaries born in 1959 or later. No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 Lee voted against H.R.325 -- No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The bill passed the Senate on January 31, 2013, with a vote of 64 - 34. The purpose of the bill was to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling and withhold the pay of members of Congress until a budget could be passed. The vote largely followed party lines with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting it and many Republicans in opposition to the bill. Government shutdown See also: United States budget debate, 2013 During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies. The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. Lee voted with the Republican Party against the bill. Immigration Mexico-U.S. border Lee voted for Senate Amendment 1197 -- Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border. The amendment was rejected by the Senate on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 39 - 54. The purpose of the amendment was to require the completion of 350 miles of fence described in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status may be granted. It would also require 700 miles of fence be completed before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be changed to permanent resident status. The vote followed party lines. Social issues Violence Against Women (2013) Lee voted against S.47 -- Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The bill was passed by the Senate on February 12, 2013, with a vote of 78 - 22. The purpose of the bill was to combat violence against women, from domestic violence to international trafficking in persons. All 22 dissenting votes were cast by Republicans. Previous congressional sessions Fiscal cliff Lee voted against the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003, while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of five Republicans that voted against the bill. The bill was passed in the Senate by an 89 - 8 vote on January 1, 2013.

Issues

National security

Rand Paul Patriot Act filibuster

On May 20, 2015, Senator Rand Paul (Ky.) conducted a nearly 11 hour filibuster of the renewal of provisions in the USA PATRIOT ACT. Paul specifically argued against the mass collection of metadata by the National Security Agency and warrantless wiretapping. He asked Senate leadership to allow members of Congress to debate reauthorizing the USA PATRIOT ACT and propose amendments to HR 2048 - the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015, rather than simply casting an up or down vote on the legislation. Lee was one of 10 senators who asked Paul questions during the filibuster.

Letter to Iran

On March 9, 2015, Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote a letter to Iran's leadership, warning them that signing a nuclear deal with the Obama administration without congressional approval was merely an "executive agreement." The letter also stated that "The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time." The letter was signed by 47 Republican members of the Senate. Lee was one of the 47 who signed the letter. No Democrats signed it.

The letter caused backlash from both the Obama administration and members of Congress. Vice President Joe Biden said of the letter, "In thirty-six years in the United States Senate, I cannot recall another instance in which senators wrote directly to advise another country — much less a longtime foreign adversary — that the president does not have the constitutional authority to reach a meaningful understanding with them."

Possible Donald Trump nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court

See also: Possible nominees to replace Anthony Kennedy on the United States Supreme Court

See also: Process to fill the vacated seat of Justice Antonin Scalia

2018

Lee was listed by President Donald Trump (R) as a potential Supreme Court nominee to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kennedy announced he would retire from the court effective July 31, 2018. Trump ultimately chose Brett Kavanaugh as the nominee. Click here to learn more.

2017

On November 17, 2017, Lee was included in a third list of individuals from which President Donald Trump would choose to fill vacancies on the U.S. Supreme Court.

A White House statement announcing the nominees stated,

“

One year ago, President Donald J. Trump was elected to restore the rule of law and to Make the Judiciary Great Again. Following the successful confirmation of Justice Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court of the United States and the nomination of more than seventy Federal judges—including five individuals from his Supreme Court list—President Trump today announced that he is refreshing his Supreme Court list with five additional judges. President Trump will choose a nominee for a future Supreme Court vacancy, should one arise, from this updated list of 25 individuals. The President remains deeply committed to identifying and selecting outstanding jurists in the mold of Justice Gorsuch. These additions, like those on the original list released more than a year ago, were selected with input from respected conservative leaders.

”

2016 Republican National Convention

See also: Republican National Convention, 2016

Lee was an at-large delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Utah. All 40 delegates from Utah were bound by state party rules to support Ted Cruz at the convention. Cruz suspended his campaign on May 3, 2016. At the time, he had approximately 546 bound delegates. For more on what happened to his delegates, see this page.

RNC Rules Committee

See also: RNC Rules Committee, 2016

On April 23, 2016, Mike Lee was elected at the Utah Republican Party State Convention to serve on the Rules Committee of the 2016 Republican National Convention in July 2016. Lee's wife, Sharon Lee, has also been appointed to the Rules Committee.

Appointment process

The convention Rules Committee in 2016 consisted of one male and one female delegate from each state and territorial delegation. The Rules of the Republican Party required each delegation to elect from its own membership representatives to serve on the Rules Committee.

Convention meeting

See also: Movement to unbind the delegates comes up one short

On July 14, 2016, Lee was involved in a closed door meeting with Republican National Committee chairman, Reince Priebus. The Rules Committee had stopped proceedings for the closed door session, which included Kendal Unruh (Colo.), Ken Cuccinelli, Solomon Yue (Ore.), Jim Bopp (Ind.), Morton Blackwell (Va.), and Ross Little Jr. (La.). Unruh led the contingency of delegates that advocated for delegates to vote at the convention according to their conscience.

At the main committee meeting on July 14, Lee supported a proposal from Colorado delegate Kendal Unruh to amend Rule 38 of the convention rules to allow delegates to vote their conscience "on all matters" at the convention. The amendment failed in a voice vote.

Utah primary results

See also: Presidential election in Utah, 2016

Utah Republican Caucus, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Delegates
Ted Cruz	69.2%	122,567	40
John Kasich	16.8%	29,773	0
Donald Trump	14%	24,864	0
Totals		177,204	40
Source: The New York Times and CNN

Delegate allocation

See also: Republican National Convention, 2016 and 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

Utah had 40 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 12 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's four congressional districts). District delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 15 percent of the statewide caucus vote in order to be eligible to receive any district-level delegates. If a candidate received more than 50 percent of the statewide caucus vote, he or she received all of the state's district delegates.

Of the remaining 28 delegates, 25 served at large. Utah's at-large delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 15 percent of the statewide caucus vote in order to be eligible to receive any at-large delegates. If a candidate received more than 50 percent of the statewide vote, he or she won all of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.

Presidential preference

2020

See also: Presidential election in Utah, 2020 and Republican National Convention, 2020

Lee endorsed Donald Trump (R) in the 2020 presidential election.

2016

See also: Presidential election in Utah, 2016 and Republican National Convention, 2016

Lee endorsed Ted Cruz (R) in the 2016 presidential election.

Elections

2016

See also: United States Senate election in Utah, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated Utah's U.S. Senate race as safely Republican. Incumbent Mike Lee (R) defeated Misty Snow (D), Stoney Fonua (Independent American), and Bill Barron (Independent) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Lee faced no primary challenger, while Snow defeated Jonathan Swinton to win the Democratic nomination. The primaries took place on June 28, 2016. Jade Tuan Quoc Vo (D) was eliminated at the party convention on April 23, 2016.

U.S. Senate, Utah General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mike Lee Incumbent	68.1%	760,220
	Democratic	Misty Snow	27.1%	301,858
	Independent American	Stoney Fonua	2.5%	27,339
	Independent	Bill Barron	2.3%	26,166
Total Votes				1,115,583
Source: Utah Secretary of State

U.S. Senate, Utah Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Misty Snow	59.4%	28,928
Jonathan Swinton	40.6%	19,774
Total Votes		48,702
Source: Utah Lieutenant Governor

2010

On November 2, 2010, Mike Lee won election to the U.S. Senate He defeated Sam F. Granato (D) and Scott N. Bradley (Constitution).

U.S. Senate, Utah, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mike Lee	61.6%	360,403
	Democratic	Sam F. Granato	32.8%	191,732
	Constitution	Scott N. Bradley	5.7%	33,095
Total Votes				585,230

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor history

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Mike Lee campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Result	Contributions
2016	U.S. Senate, Utah	✔	$5,844,282
2010	U.S. Senate (Utah)	✔	$1,710,429
Grand total raised			$7,554,711
Source: Follow the Money

2016

Lee won re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2016. During that election cycle, Lee's campaign committee raised a total of $5,844,282 and spent $5,499,078. This is less than the average $10.08 million spent by U.S. Senate winners in 2016.

Cost per vote

Lee spent $7.23 per general election vote received in 2016.

U.S. Senate, Utah, 2016 - Mike Lee (Utah) Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$5,844,282
Total Spent	$5,499,078
Total Raised by Election Runner-up	$63,646
Total Spent by Election Runner-up	$49,662
Top contributors to Mike Lee (Utah)'s campaign committee
Club for Growth	$360,482
Senate Conservatives Fund	$155,179
Kirkham Motorsports	$111,200
Pachulski, Stang et al	$84,900
Edge Creek	$76,600
Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee
Republican/Conservative	$730,025
Lawyers/Law Firms	$361,691
Securities & Investment	$324,796
Retired	$312,407
Real Estate	$287,000
Source: Open Secrets

2010

Lee won election to the U.S. Senate in 2010. During that election cycle, Lee's campaign committee raised a total of $1,710,429 and spent $1,650,993.

U.S. Senate, Utah, 2010 - Mike Lee (Utah) Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$1,710,429
Total Spent	$1,650,993
Total Raised by General Election Opponent	$291,522
Total Spent by General Election Opponent	$290,629
Top contributors to Mike Lee (Utah)'s campaign committee
Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee

To view the breakdown of campaign funding by type click [show] to expand the section.
Breakdown of the source of Lee's campaign funds before the 2010 election.

Personal Gain Index

See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Lee's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $52,004 to $170,000. That averages to $111,002, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senate members in 2012 of $6,956,438.47. Lee ranked as the 95th most wealthy senator in 2012. Between 2009 and 2012, Lee‘s calculated net worth increased by an average of 10 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.

Mike Lee Yearly Net Worth
Year	Average Net Worth
2009	$86,151
2012	$111,002
Growth from 2009 to 2012:	29%
Average annual growth:	10%
Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Lee received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Lawyers/Law Firms industry.

From 2009-2014, 19.46 percent of Lee's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.

Mike Lee (Utah) Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$3,484,804
Total Spent	$3,111,942
Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee
Lawyers/Law Firms	$145,502
Retired	$145,094
Securities & Investment	$140,416
Business Services	$126,305
Computers/Internet	$120,800
% total in top industry	4.18%
% total in top two industries	8.34%
% total in top five industries	19.46%

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Lee was a "far-right Republican," as of August 2014. This was the same rating Lee received in July 2013.

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.

Lee most often votes with:

• Jim Risch
• Joe Manchin

Lee least often votes with:

• Susan Collins
• Chuck Schumer

Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Lee missed 56 of 1,413 roll call votes from January 2011 to September 2015. This amounts to 4 percent, which is worse than the median of 1.6 percent among current senators as of September 2015.

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Lee paid his congressional staff a total of $1,693,693 in 2011. He ranked 8th on the list of the lowest paid Republican senatorial staff salaries and ranked 8th overall of the lowest paid senatorial staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Utah ranked 43rd in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

2013

Lee ranked 7th in the conservative rankings in 2013.

2012

Lee ranked 7th in the conservative rankings in 2012.

2011

Lee ranked 22nd in the conservative rankings in 2011.

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

Lee voted with the Republican Party 79.5 percent of the time, which ranked 40th among the 45 Senate Republican members as of August 2014.

2013

Lee voted with the Republican Party 80 percent of the time, which ranked 41st among the 46 Senate Republican members as of June 2013.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Lee and his wife, Sharon, have three children.

Noteworthy events

Tested positive for coronavirus on October 2, 2020

See also: Government official, politician, and candidate deaths, diagnoses, and quarantines due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2021

Coronavirus pandemic
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On October 2, 2020, Lee announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19. Lee announced on March 22, 2020, that he would self-quarantine after learning that U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Pa.) tested positive for coronavirus.

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term Mike + Lee + Utah + Senate

Mike Lee News Feed

See also

• United States Senate
• United States congressional delegations from Utah
• News: Utah Senator Lee votes against all of Obama judicial nominees, February 28, 2012

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Officeholder

U.S. Senate Utah

Website

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	U.S. Senate Utah 2011-Present	Succeeded by -

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Utah's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Mike Lee (R)

Mitt Romney (R)

Representatives

District 1

Blake Moore (R)

District 2

Chris Stewart (R)

District 3

John Curtis (R)

District 4

Burgess Owens (R)

Republican Party (6)