A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Lee represents district 59A, which includes parts of northern Minneapolis in Hennepin County.

He was an intern or volunteer for Minneapolis City Council Member Blong Yang, then-U.S. Representative Keith Ellison, and Steve Simon, later becoming an aide in the office of the Minnesota Secretary of State.

[19][20] Lee worked with Senator Sandy Pappas in 2023 to move forward both cash and bonding infrastructure bills prioritizing racial equity and addressing the climate and housing crises.

[23] In March 2023, the House passed a $1.9 billion deal that received bipartisan support to reach the three-fifths majority threshold, though the Senate failed to do the same with all Republicans voting against the bill.

[29] He co-sponsored a bill creating a commission to review how local government, police, and military responded to George Floyd protests in Minneapolis and St. Paul, including aid to community organizations in the area.

[37] Lee introduced the legislation again in 2023, but the provisions were scaled back to only include the seven-county metro and other large cities in 2023 due to opposition from rural DFL members.

[39][40] He has advocated for the Department of Natural Resources to do more outreach to hunters in the Twin Cities metropolitan area and to people of color, women and younger generations.

[45] Lee signed on to a statement opposing President Donald Trump's proposal to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy.