Biography
Ben Kieckhefer serves as a member of the Nevada Gaming Commission, the appointed regulatory body responsible for overseeing the state's gaming industry. He joined the commission after serving as Chief of Staff to the Governor of Nevada from 2023 to 2024, a role in which he managed the daily operations of the governor's office and advised on statewide policy initiatives.
Prior to his executive branch service, Kieckhefer represented District 16 in the Nevada State Senate for ten years, holding the seat from 2011 to 2021. He earned a bachelor's degree from DePaul University and completed graduate studies at the University of Illinois.
Most recent election: November 6, 20181.
NV SOS Aurora records show Ben Kieckhefer has reported $1,203,714 in cumulative campaign contributions across 887 filings, spanning 2011-07-28 to 2020-12-152.
- Ballotpedia — Ben Kieckhefer — https://ballotpedia.org/Ben_Kieckhefer (accessed 2026-06-24).
- NV SOS Aurora — campaign filings for Ben Kieckhefer — https://www.nvsos.gov/SoSCandidateServices/AnonymousAccess/CEFDSearchUU/Search.aspx?type=cefd&candidateId=3927 (accessed 2026-06-24).
- Education: Bachelor's, DePaul University; Graduate, University of Illinois
Campaign finance
Source: Nevada Secretary of State Aurora campaign-finance dataset.
Aggregates from gnomey.cf_contributions and cf_expenditures. [verify on NV SOS]
| Total raised | $1,203,714 |
|---|---|
| Contributions on file | 887 |
| Date range | 2011-07-28 – 2020-12-15 |
| Total spent | $1,042,979 |
| Donor concentration (HHI) | 0.0047 |
| Top-1 donor share | 2.49% |
| Burn rate (spent / raised) | 0.87 (steady-state) |
Vs state median
Benchmark group: appointed board peers (n=29).
| Metric | This politician | Peer median | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total raised | $1,203,714 | peer median $0 | above peers (peer median is $0) |
| Total spent | $1,042,979 | peer median $0 | above peers (peer median is $0) |
| Donor concentration (HHI) | 0.0047 | peer median 0.0032 | 49% above the office-level median |
| Top-1 donor share | 2.49% | peer median 1.55% | 60% above the office-level median |
Top donors
| Donor | Total | # |
|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Sands Corp | $30,000 | 5 |
| Switch | $15,000 | 3 |
| New Nevada PAC | $15,000 | 3 |
| Students First | $12,000 | 3 |
| Paul Singer | $10,000 | 2 |
| Senate Republican Leadership Conference | $10,000 | 1 |
| Boyd Gaming | $10,000 | 3 |
| Eldorado Resorts Inc | $10,000 | 1 |
| Monte and Susan Miller | $10,000 | 1 |
| The Interface Group | $10,000 | 1 |
Donors who are also registered lobbying clients
3 of this legislator's donors are NRS 218H–registered Carson City lobbying clients (83rd 2025 Session). Cross-referenced from NPE's lobbyist-client registry. When a donor also pays a lobbyist, the contribution becomes one surface of a multi-channel influence relationship.
| Client | Donated to this legislator | # contributions | Client's total NV political $ | # registered lobbyists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Sands | $30,000 | 5 | $32,471,199 | 6 |
| Switch | $15,000 | 3 | $13,996,555 | 3 |
| Boyd Gaming Corporation | $10,000 | 3 | $4,038,834 | 7 |
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References
- Ballotpedia — Ben Kieckhefer officeholder profile (press) — link [archived] [accessed 2026-06-29]
- NV SOS Aurora — campaign filing for Ben Kieckhefer (campaign finance) — link [archived] [accessed 2026-06-29]