Dean Heller

Dean Heller was sworn in to the United States Senate on May 9, 2011. Prior to Heller's service in the Senate, he served as Nevada's Representative to Second Congressional District, served state-wide as Nevada's Secretary of State for three terms and served two terms in the Nevada State Assembly representing Carson City.

Since Dean's election to Congress, he has been at the forefront in the fight for fiscal responsibility in Washington. He has voted against hundreds of billions in tax increases, expansion of government and out-of-control spending. Dean was also the only member of the Nevada delegation to vote against the Wall Street bailout. With skyrocketing spending and record deficits in Washington, Dean continues to advocate for balanced budgets and fiscal sanity in Washington. Heller also recognizes the fiscal policies in Washington have hurt economic recovery and more needs to be done to get Nevadans back to work. Controlling spending and getting government out of the way of will allow for long-term economic growth.

As a former member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, Heller has fought for responsible policies that preserve Medicare and Social Security for seniors, advocated for tax reform to get our nation's economy moving, and a more accountable government for the American public. As Vice Chairman of the House Western Caucus which is compromised nearly 40 Members of Congress he helped lead to the fight to defend private property rights and promote balanced public land management. Dean continues to provide strong leadership for Nevada on issues such as mining, public lands access and wildfire prevention. He continues to be successful in moving public lands legislation beneficial to local communities throughout Nevada.

In the Senate Heller continues his fight to rein in excessive government spending that crowd out private investment and stop burdensome regulations that stifles job growth. Dean has vocally advocated for an energy policy to combat high gas prices, and promotes pro-growth tax reforms. These efforts in conjunction with reducing government spending will create the environment for economic growth and job creation.

Raised in Carson City, Dean grew up with five brothers and sisters and graduated from Carson High School. In 1985 he received a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, specializing in finance and securities analysis, and worked as a stockbroker and as a broker/trader on the Pacific Stock Exchange.

Dean and his wife Lynne have been married more than twenty-five years and have raised their four children—Hilary, Harris, Drew, and Emmy—in Carson City.