Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), who is running for the Senate, has long been an advocate of her husband's industry, according to The New York Times, risking a conflict of interest as she fought to protect kidney doctors both in Nevada and nationwide.

Berkley's husband, Dr. Larry Lehrner, is a kidney doctor, and the piece says that she fought against federal efforts to shut down a kidney transplant program at a medical center with ties to her husband where the procedure was failing at an unusually high rate, and "pushed legislation or twisted the arms of federal regulators to pursue an agenda that is aligned with the business interests of her husband."

Berkley's campaign pushed back against the story. "While the New York Times may not care about the healthcare needs of my fellow Nevadans, I do. I will never stop fighting on behalf of my constituents just because my husband is a doctor -- as I won't stop standing up for veterans because my father served in World War II," said Berkley. "I have always worked closely with Democrats and Republicans over many years to put the health of Nevadans above all else, making quality care available to veterans and to patients suffering from cancer, diabetes, autism, heart disease, kidney disease, and other illnesses and will continue to do so in the future."

Her campaign pointed out that then-Rep. Jon Porter (R-Nev.) led the charge to protect the kidney transplant program and that the entire congressional delegation including her opponent, then-Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), worked together on the matter.



The piece could be damaging to her campaign against Heller, who was appointed to the Senate last spring. The two are expected to have a close race in the swing state, and Democrats view the seat as one of their best opportunities to pick up a Republican-held seat.

Updated at 12:20 p.m. to include Berkley's response.

