PolitickerNV Profile: Renee Aschoff

Las Vegas- In the coming weeks, PolitickerNV.com will be profiling some of the staffers and consultants who work so hard to get these guys and gals elected and us something to write about.  Today's subject: Renee Aschoff, campaign manager of Shelley Berkley for Congress.

Aschoff, 38, is one of a rare breed of campaign staffers, but by no means unknown, who have worked exclusively for one candidate throughout their political career.  Her work in politics began in 1998 with Berkley's first campaign for congress, but her relationship with Berkley was formed several years earlier when both were employed by The Las Vegas Sands Corporation.

"I was a political novice by every sense of the word," recalled Aschoff Thursday.  "[Berkley] said that she was going to run for congress and, being a good assistant (which I was at the time), I said let me know what I can do to help."

Berkley put Aschoff to work as a campaign fundraiser, the ins and outs of which Aschoff learned at an Emily's List training in 1997.

"It was seventy-two hours of the most intense training ever," said Aschoff.  "My idea at the time was that I would just be an assistant because I didn't know anything about politics and I wasn't a volunteer working my way up or a person who travels the country from campaign to campaign like a lot of people do."

Aschoff's fundraising tutelage wasn't limited to Emily's List, however.  As a former assemblywoman and member of the Nevada University System Board of Regents, Berkley was already an experienced fundraiser and passed that experience on to Aschoff.

"[Berkley] has really been and continues to be my teacher or professor of campaigns and politics," said Aschoff.

Looking back, Aschoff cringes when she recalls their first campaign, the contentious '98 match-up between Berkley and Republican Don Chairez.

"It was a difficult race," said Aschoff.  "[Berkley] had left The Sands so there was the element of Sheldon Adelson playing part in that campaign.  He supported our opponent and raised money for his campaign. It was an open seat so there were a number of different outside parties involved."

"Frankly, I've tried to forget those times as much as possible.  It was an ugly, ugly race."

Aschoff continued working for Berkley after the '98 campaign, serving as finance director in both 2000 and 2002.  Those elections were also hard-fought, with Berkley challenged first by now-Congressman Jon Porter in 2000 and then by former Clark County Commissioner Lynette Boggs-McDonald in 2002.  When Peggy Egan, who managed Berkley's campaigns in those two races, moved on after 2002, Aschoff was promoted to campaign manager, a position she has held since.

"We've always put together a team based on people's strengths," said Aschoff, "and we run every race just as hard as we ran the first one."

Aschoff brushes aside the notion that because Berkley's last two campaigns haven't featured strong Republican challengers there hasn't been a need for hard campaigning.

"We have a district that is ever-changing," said Aschoff.  "We have a massive amount of land that now house people and businesses and apartment complexes and, with the transient level, we have a lot of people who don't know [Berkley].  So, we're always running a campaign of introduction and reintroduction."

During slow political seasons, Aschoff has dabbled in consulting, providing fundraising training to candidates and campaigns in California from the local to the congressional level.

"It's my favorite part," said Aschoff on campaign fundraising.  "Everybody is wired differently, but the congresswoman and I enjoy it.  We try to make it fun and spend time talking with her friends, you know, people she enjoys talking to.  Friends are supporters and supporters turn in to friends."

At present, Aschoff runs Berkley's campaign virtually alone with only a campaign treasurer also on staff.  The married mother of 6-year-old twin boys will be adding staff as the cycle heats up but currently she "wears all the hats."

"I fundraise for her, members of congress who come to town, the national and state parties and [Berkley's] leadership PAC.  I do the general management; the spending, budgets, forecasting and coordinating with our consultants.  [Chief of staff] Richard Urey does the political strategy and it's a natural thing for him.  He teaches me something new every day."

Looking forward to future campaigns with Berkley, Aschoff is quick to describe her political career as based more on work ethic than personal connections, more perspiration than inspiration.

"I'm a very hard worker," said Aschoff, "not necessarily a networker.  I prefer to be behind the scenes and working behind the scenes, helping to make the congresswoman great."

It's an attitude that's heard all-too-rarely today, but one that has kept her working and will continue to do so.