Biography
Summer Lynn Lee was born on November 26, 1987, in North Braddock, Pennsylvania — a small, historically Black steel town in the Mon Valley east of Pittsburgh that has been devastated by deindustrialization. She grew up watching her community hollowed out by disinvestment and corporate abandonment, and chose law and politics as her tools for fighting back. She earned a BA in journalism from Penn State and a JD from Howard University School of Law in 2015.
She worked as a summer intern with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the DC Attorney General's Office before returning to Pennsylvania to run for state House in 2018. She won the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 34th House District — again defeating an establishment-backed opponent with progressive grassroots support — and served one term in Harrisburg as a vocal progressive voice and DSA member.
In 2022, she ran for the newly drawn 12th Congressional District covering Pittsburgh and the Mon Valley, winning the Democratic primary by a narrow margin over an AIPAC-backed opponent in one of the most expensive House primaries in the country. She became the first Black woman ever elected to represent Pennsylvania in Congress. She is a proud member of the Squad and one of the most prominent progressive voices in the Pennsylvania delegation.
She won her 2026 primary on May 19, defeating challenger Will Parker. She is running for her third term and is favored in the general election.
In Congress & 2026 Reelection
Lee is running for her third term in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District, covering Pittsburgh, the Mon Valley, and parts of Westmoreland County. She is one of the most progressive members of Congress from Pennsylvania and a key member of the Squad.
In Congress, she has fought for Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, housing as a human right, and workers' rights. She has been among the first members to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and has faced criticism from pro-Israel groups in her district, which has one of the larger Jewish populations in Pennsylvania. She has consistently held her ground.
Her 2026 primary win on May 19 was decisive. She endorsed fellow Pennsylvanian Chris Rabb in the PA-3 primary and has been a key figure in the broader progressive wave reshaping Pennsylvania's Democratic delegation.
In the press
- CBS Pittsburgh
- Wikipedia