Shelley Berkley
Started in politics as a working mother
The first in her working-class family to graduate from college, Shelley put herself through law school by working as a cocktail waitress in Las Vegas. She served in the Nevada State Assembly while starting a family. After working in the private sector, Shelley later became vice chair of the Nevada University and Community College System Board of Regents. Shelley has represented Nevada’s first district in Congress since 1999.
"The hardest-working woman in politics"
Shelley has more than earned her reputation for being a tenacious, dedicated lawmaker who puts her constituents above all else. The Nevada press has noted that she’s “inexhaustible and omnipresent,” never failing to advocate for veterans, seniors, and women’s rights. Standing up for women and working families, she cosponsored both the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Fair Minimum Wage Act.
A top pick-up seat against a freshly minted incumbent
After scandal-plagued Republican Sen. John Ensign resigned amid an ethics probe, Nevada’s governor appointed GOP Congressman Dean Heller to fill Ensign’s seat. While Berkley is popular in her district and well-known statewide, she now faces an incumbent who can count on extensive support from right-wing special interests eager to keep this seat in GOP hands. With our support, Berkley can fight back against the GOP machine and turn this Senate seat blue in 2012.
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