Date: November 7, 2024, 02:44h. 

Last updated: November 7, 2024, 02:44h.

Former Congresswoman Shelley Berkley has been elected as the new mayor of Las Vegas after her opponent conceded on Thursday.

Berkley, a Democrat, had a lead of 15,037 votes over Councilwoman Victoria Seaman, R, who decided to end the race.

“While the outcome of the Mayor’s race is not what we had hoped, I wholeheartedly congratulate Shell[e]y Berkley on her election as the next mayor of Las Vegas,” Seaman said in a Facebook post.

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,” Seaman added.

Years in Nevada

Shelley Berkley was born in 1951 in New York City but moved to Nevada with her family at a young age. She graduated from UNLV, where she served as the student government president, and later attended the University of San Diego School of Law.

She worked as an attorney in Nevada, specializing in representing casinos.

Conflict with Sheldon Adelson

One of her clients was Sheldon Adelson, CEO of Las Vegas Sands. Their relationship soured after he expressed his desire to open the Venetian Las Vegas as a non-union workplace, as reported by Politico.

Adelson, a former Democrat turned Republican mega-donor, rejected Berkley’s plans to run for Congress as a Democrat. He heavily supported Dean Heller, R, in the 2012 Senate race against Berkley, contributing over $4 million through Crossroads GPS.

Prior to the Senate race, Berkley represented Nevada’s First Congressional District for seven terms from 1999 to 2013, which encompassed the Las Vegas Strip and surrounding areas.

She also held positions such as national director for the American Hotel-Motel Association and CEO of the Touro College and University System in Nevada and California.

Berkley succeeds Carolyn Goodman as the mayor of Las Vegas, continuing the Goodman family’s 25-year reign in the position.

Titus, Horsford Secured Reelection

U.S. Reps. 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, D, was also projected to win the Nevada US Senate race against Sam Brown, R, with Rosen leading in votes as of Thursday morning.

Rosen had 47.6% of the votes, totaling 644,471, while Brown had 46.7% of the votes, totaling 631,772.