Biography
Shelley Berkley serves as the Mayor of Las Vegas, having assumed office in 2024. She succeeded Carolyn Goodman in the nonpartisan municipal role, leading Nevada's largest city.
Prior to her mayoral tenure, Berkley represented Nevada's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1999 to 2013. She previously served on the Nevada Board of Regents for Sub-District 2 from 1990 to 1998. Berkley holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a law degree from the University of San Diego. Her professional background includes work as an attorney and higher education administrator. She has no military service.
Most recent election: November 5, 20241.
NV SOS Aurora records show 1,409 campaign contributions to Shelley Berkley totaling $2,394,912, spanning 2023-01-17 to 2025-07-222.
Public-facing pages: official .gov biography3.
- Ballotpedia — Shelley Berkley — https://ballotpedia.org/Shelley_Berkley (accessed 2026-06-24).
- NV SOS Aurora — campaign filings for Shelley Berkley — https://www.nvsos.gov/SoSCandidateServices/AnonymousAccess/CEFDSearchUU/Search.aspx?type=cefd&candidateId=23923 (accessed 2026-06-24).
- Official .gov page — https://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/Government/Mayor-City-Council/Mayor (accessed 2026-06-24).
- Education: Bachelor's, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Law, University of San Diego
- Career: Attorney, Higher Education Administrator
- Predecessor: Carolyn Goodman (Nonpartisan)
- Religion: Judaism
Electoral history
| Year | Type | Office | Result | Vote % | Opponents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Primary | United States Senator (Democratic) | Won [source] Race page | 79.46% (62,081) | PRICE, NANCY (5.39%); BROWN, STEVE (5.12%); NONE OF THESE CANDIDATES (4.66%); ELLSWORTH, BARRY (3.19%); MACIAS, LOUIS (2.19%) |
| 2012 | General | United States Senator | Lost [source] Race page | 44.71% (446,080) | HELLER, DEAN (45.87%); VANDERBEEK, DAVID LORY (4.89%); NONE OF THESE CANDIDATES (4.54%) |
| 2010 | General | U.S. Representative in Congress, District 1 | Won [source] Race page | 61.75% (103,246) | WEGNER, KENNETH A. (35.28%); HANSEN, JONATHAN J. (1.7%); KLAPPROTH, ED (1.27%) |
| 2008 | Primary | U.S. Representative in Congress, District 1 (Democratic) | Won [source] Race page | 89.74% (19,444) | BUDETICH, JR., MARK JOHN (10.26%) |
| 2008 | General | U.S. Representative in Congress, District 1 | Won [source] Race page | 67.65% (154,860) | WEGNER, KENNETH (28.32%); ALEXANDER, CAREN (2.05%); DUENSING, JR., RAYMOND JAMES (1.98%) |
| 2006 | Primary | U.S. Representative in Congress, District 1 (Democratic) | Won [source] Race page | 90.08% (29,655) | LAWLOR, ASIMO SONDRA "SILVER" (9.92%) |
| 2006 | General | U.S. Representative in Congress, District 1 | Won [source] Race page | 64.84% (85,025) | WEGNER, KENNETH (31.2%); DUENSING, JIM (2.17%); ROBERTS, DARNELL (1.78%) |
| 2004 | Primary | REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS DISTRICT 1 (Democratic) | Won [source] Race page | 80.16% (27,765) | REYNOLDS, ANN (9.26%); KRAL, BRIAN (6.96%); Under Votes (3.61%); Over Votes (0%) |
| 2002 | General | REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS, District 1 | Won [source] Race page | 53.72% (64,312) | BOGGS-MCDONALD, LYNETTE MARIA (42.73%); DEMPSEY, STEVEN (2.39%); STARTIN, W. LANE (1.16%); Under Votes (0%); Over Votes (0%) |
| 2000 | General | Representative in Congress, District 1 | Won [source] Race page | 51.68% (118,469) | Porter, Jon (44.18%); Schneider, Charles (1.75%); Hansen, Christopher H. (1.72%); Swenson, W.G. (0.67%); Over Votes (0%); Under Votes (0%) |
| 1998 | General | Congressional District One | Won Race page | 79,315 | Chairez, Don; Burns, Jim; Howe, Jess |
| 1992 | General | University Board of Regents, District 2, Subdistrict C | Won Race page | 20,907 | Shields, William |
| 1990 | General | University Regent District 2C | Won Race page | 21,855 | GRAVES, MADISON II |
| 1984 | Primary | STATE SENATE, CLARK DISTRICT 5, DEM. | Won Race page | 3,225 | PALMER, JIM L. |
| 1984 | General | State Senator District 5, Clark | Lost Race page | 13,370 | O'CONNELL, ANN; O'NEILL, PATRICK |
Campaign finance
Source: Nevada Secretary of State Aurora campaign-finance dataset.
Aggregates from gnomey.cf_contributions and cf_expenditures. [verify on NV SOS]
| Total raised | $2,394,912 |
|---|---|
| Contributions on file | 1,409 |
| Date range | 2023-01-17 – 2025-07-22 |
| Total spent | $2,343,914 |
| Donor concentration (HHI) | 0.0023 |
| Top-1 donor share | 0.63% |
| Burn rate (spent / raised) | 0.98 (steady-state) |
Vs state median
Benchmark group: city peers (n=77).
| Metric | This politician | Peer median | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total raised | $2,394,912 | peer median $9,654 | 248.1× the office-level median |
| Total spent | $2,343,914 | peer median $12,639 | 185.4× the office-level median |
| Donor concentration (HHI) | 0.0023 | peer median 0.0128 | 82% below the office-level median |
| Top-1 donor share | 0.63% | peer median 3.92% | 84% below the office-level median |
| Lobbyist payments | $16,000 | peer median $0 | above peers (peer median is $0) |
Top donors
| Donor | Total | # |
|---|---|---|
| Heidi Canarelli | $15,000 | 2 |
| Lawrence Canarelli | $15,000 | 3 |
| Ninety Five Management, LLC | $15,000 | 3 |
| Canyon Walk LLC | $10,000 | 2 |
| Mohave Skin Cancer | $10,000 | 3 |
| Metal Resources | $10,000 | 2 |
| William Baxter | $10,000 | 1 |
| Red Rock Casino Resort Spa | $10,000 | 1 |
| Cynthia Reiman | $10,000 | 2 |
| South Point Hotel and Casino | $10,000 | 2 |
Payments to registered Nevada lobbyists: $16,000 across 2 payments.
Donors who are also registered lobbying clients
1 of this legislator's donors are NRS 218H–registered Carson City lobbying clients (83rd 2025 Session). Cross-referenced from NPE's lobbyist-client registry. When a donor also pays a lobbyist, the contribution becomes one surface of a multi-channel influence relationship.
| Client | Donated to this legislator | # contributions | Client's total NV political $ | # registered lobbyists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Entertainment | $10,000 | 1 | $1,340,179 | 1 |
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References
- Ballotpedia — Shelley Berkley officeholder profile (press) — link [archived] [accessed 2026-09-17]
- NV SOS Aurora — campaign filing for Shelley Berkley (campaign finance) — link [archived] [accessed 2026-09-17]
- FEC candidate registration H8NV01071 — U.S. Representative, Nevada District 1 (1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012) (campaign finance) — link [archived] [accessed 2026-06-29]
- Nevada Campaign Contributions — federal page (campaign finance) — link [archived] [accessed 2026-06-29]
- FEC candidate registration S2NV00209 — U.S. Senator (2012) (campaign finance) — link [archived] [accessed 2026-06-29]
- Nevada Campaign Contributions — federal page (campaign finance) — link [archived] [accessed 2026-06-29]