Dean Heller
A Nevada Republican who navigated the state's shifting political tides, becoming its last GOP senator before a Democratic wave.
Born 1960 (age 66)·American politician·Birthday: May 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Dean Heller's political career is a map of modern Nevada's competitive landscape. A former stockbroker and Nevada Secretary of State, he built a reputation as a pragmatic, business-friendly conservative. His move to the U.S. House and then an appointment to the Senate in 2011 placed him in the increasingly difficult position of representing a purple state within a national Republican Party moving to the right. Heller's tenure was defined by careful, sometimes wavering, calculations on major votes, from the Affordable Care Act repeal to Supreme Court confirmations. His 2018 defeat to Democrat Jacky Rosen marked the end of an era for Nevada's GOP, underscoring the challenges for Republicans in diversifying Western states.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Dean was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dean Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Dean's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as a U.S. Senator from Nevada from 2011 to 2019, appointed to fill a vacancy and later winning a full term in 2012.
- Was the only Republican senator in 2018 running for re-election in a state Hillary Clinton had won in the 2016 presidential election.
- As Secretary of State for Nevada from 1995 to 2007, he oversaw the state's elections and business filings for over a decade.
- Served as the U.S. Representative for Nevada's 2nd congressional district from 2007 to 2011.
Did You Know?
He was a standout athlete in high school, playing baseball, basketball, and football.
Before politics, he worked as a stockbroker for over a decade.
He is an avid outdoorsman and hunter.
He was appointed to the Senate by Governor Brian Sandoval after Senator John Ensign resigned.
“I will always put Nevada first.”
