Carrie Buck

Buck was born in Sioux City, Iowa, where she grew up; the Nevada Independent reports that her father was an accountant and her mother worked for the telephone company, and her campaign website says she was raised on a small farm.[2][3][4] She earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Montana State University in 1995, a master's degree from the University of Phoenix in 1998 and a Ph.D. from Nova Southeastern University in 2006. The Nevada Legislature lists the master's as in administration and supervision and the doctorate as in organizational leadership.[2][4][5] After college she moved to Las Vegas in 1996, and her campaign website says she began her career teaching fifth grade in North Las Vegas. She also worked as an English-language-learner specialist and instructional coach with the Clark County School District.[2][3][4]

Buck became principal of C.T. Sewell Elementary School in Henderson in 2006 and served there about eight years, and she received a Milken Educator Award in 2008.[4][8][5] Around 2014 she was recruited to Pinecrest Academy of Nevada, where she was principal and executive director, and in 2019 she became president of the Pinecrest Foundation, a nonprofit that supports charter school scholarships.[2][4]

Buck lost a 2016 race for Nevada State Senate District 5 to Democrat Joyce Woodhouse by fewer than 500 votes. She won the open seat in 2020 after Woodhouse was termed out and was re-elected in 2024 over Democrat Jennifer Atlas. The Nevada Legislature lists her as assistant minority leader in 2023.[2][4][8][5] In the 2025-2026 Senate she sits on the Education, Finance, and Growth and Infrastructure committees.[2]

Buck launched her campaign for the 1st District while serving in the state Senate, and the Nevada Independent reports that she had President Donald Trump's endorsement. She won the June 9, 2026 Republican primary.[2][4][8] Her campaign website says she and her husband Eric, a retired Deputy Chief of Police, have four sons and are local small business owners. In a 2024 Ballotpedia survey she described herself as the wife of a Henderson police captain and the mother of four sons, two of whom serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.[3][9] During the campaign, her campaign website said she was running on parents' rights, border security, funding police and ending taxes on tips, and the National Republican Congressional Committee named her to its MAGA Majority program for candidates in Democratic-held districts.[2][3][4][5] She received 37.7% of the vote to Dina Titus's 59.2%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[1]