When Shelley Berkley’s working class family moved West nearly five decades ago, they found economic opportunity and a better life in Southern Nevada. That experience has given Shelley a deep sense of commitment to her community. That is why she fights so tirelessly for Nevada’s families and their futures.

After graduating from Las Vegas public schools, Shelley was the first of her family to graduate college, attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where she served as student body president and earned a degree in political science. She worked as a keno runner and cocktail waitress to put herself through college and law school.

From 1982 to 1984 Shelley served in the Nevada Assembly, while also starting a family. She worked to create jobs, strengthen consumer safety laws and crack down on drunk driving. Shelley was appointed and twice elected to the Nevada University Board of Regents, serving from 1990 to 1998 and served as vice chair.

In 1998 Nevadans elected Shelley to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, making her the first woman to represent her district in Congress.

Representing Nevada’s 1st Congressional District, Shelley has made job creation a priority, championing legislation to make Nevada a national leader in clean energy jobs, fighting to close tax loopholes that encourage companies to ship jobs overseas, and supporting tax credits for small businesses.

She’s earned the title of “hardest-working woman in politics” for her work on issues that matter to Nevadans, from working to create thousands of jobs all across Nevada, securing funding to build a clean energy infrastructure that will create thousands of more jobs in future years, and making sure we keep the promises we’ve made to our seniors and veterans. She’s also been an outspoken voice in calling for the end of the dangerous Yucca Mountain waste repository.

Shelley is married to Dr. Larry Lehrner, a practicing kidney specialist, and is the proud mother of two sons, Max and Sam, and two stepchildren, Stephanie and David.