The Honorable Shelley Berkley

U.S. Representative from Nevada (January 3, 1999–January 3, 2013)

From a young age, Shelley Berkley knew she wanted to work in public service. In this oral history, she details her experience volunteering for the early campaigns of Senator Harry Reid, Senator Richard Bryan, and Governor Mike O’Callaghan, which served as her introduction to electoral politics. With her mother’s encouragement, Berkley decided to start a family and run for office. She discusses the ongoing balance of life events and work responsibilities that followed—like giving birth to her first child while serving as a state legislator—and the family support that made it possible. Berkley sheds light on aspects of House re-election campaigns, including the support she received from unions and women’s groups, and the challenge of campaigning in one of the fastest-growing districts in the country.

In this interview, she explains her focus on local and international issues as a member of both the Ways and Means Committee and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. As the granddaughter of Jewish immigrants, Berkley prioritized American relations with the Middle East and Israel. Additionally, she stresses the importance of working with her Nevada colleagues to protect Yucca Mountain from becoming a nuclear repository. She also recounts her work concerning young immigrant constituents that became one of the building blocks for the DREAM Act. Berkley reflects on her 2012 Senate campaign and what it means to have been a political role model for a generation of Nevadans.