Shelley Berkley, a former Congresswoman, has been named the new mayor of Las Vegas after her opponent conceded on Thursday. Berkley, a Democrat, was leading Councilwoman Victoria Seaman, a Republican, by approximately 15,037 votes when Seaman decided to withdraw from the race.
“While the outcome of the Mayor’s race is not what we had hoped, I wholeheartedly congratulate Shelley Berkley on her election as the next mayor of Las Vegas,” Seaman expressed in a Facebook post. She further stated, “I am confident that she will lead our city with dedication, and I stand ready to support and work alongside her as councilwoman of Ward 2 in any way I can to further the interests of all our residents.”
Born in 1951 in New York City, Berkley moved to Nevada with her family at a young age. She attended local schools and graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where she served as president of the student government. She then pursued a law degree at the University of San Diego School of Law. Berkley’s career as an attorney in Nevada involved significant work representing casinos.
One notable chapter in Berkley’s career was her association with Sheldon Adelson, the CEO of Las Vegas Sands. Their professional relationship deteriorated after Adelson opted to open the Venetian Las Vegas as a nonunion workplace and opposed Berkley’s congressional bid as a Democrat. Although Adelson had been a Democrat for many years, he later became a prominent Republican donor until his death in 2021. Reflecting on her relationship with Adelson, Berkley said in a 2012 Politico interview, “I hate even talking about him because, after all these years, it still upsets me terribly… We were very good friends, obviously, when I went to work for him.”
Adelson’s political action committee, Crossroads GPS, contributed over $4 million to support Dean Heller in his Senate race against Berkley in 2012, a race that Berkley narrowly lost. Before her Senate bid, Berkley had served seven terms representing Nevada’s First Congressional District from 1999 to 2013, which included the Las Vegas Strip and its surrounding areas. Additionally, she has held roles such as the national director for the American Hotel-Motel Association and CEO of the Touro College and University System in Nevada and California.
Berkley will succeed Carolyn Goodman as mayor of Las Vegas. The Goodman family has held the mayoralty for the past 25 years, with Carolyn and her husband, Oscar, previously serving in the position.
In related election news, US Representatives Steven Horsford and Dina Titus, both Nevada Democrats, were projected to win their reelection bids on Thursday, according to the Associated Press. Incumbent Jacky Rosen, also a Democrat, was projected to win against Republican Sam Brown to represent Nevada in the US Senate, as reported by Decision Desk HQ and The Hill. As of Thursday morning, Rosen was leading with 47.6% of the vote, while Brown had 46.7%.
