Henderson state lawmaker running for Dina Titus’ House seat
A state lawmaker in Henderson said she plans to challenge Rep. Dina Titus in the 2026 congressional election.
Carrie Buck, a second-term state senator, announced her campaign for Nevada’s 1st Congressional District in a Tuesday news release. The district has been considered a Democratic stronghold and held by Titus since 2013, but recent elections have brought it to the attention of Republicans seeking to pick up another seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In her announcement, Buck said her experience as a teacher, charter school reform leader and legislator was dedicated to improving “the quality of life while expanding opportunities for every Nevadan.”
“Beltway Democrats have failed us and our representatives are out of touch with the real needs of Nevada families — opposing No Taxes on Tips and even backing the largest tax hike in history,” she said in a statement. “Our communities are tired of these failed politicians who have no solutions and who are actually part of the problem. In Congress, I’ll work alongside President Trump to lower taxes, create good-paying American jobs, restore law-and-order, and renew the American Dream for future generations.”
Buck was first elected in November 2020, when she flipped the legislative district by beating her Democratic opponent by about 300 votes. It was redistricted in 2021, and in the most recent election, she won as the incumbent by about 7 percentage points.
Her campaign identified the 1st Congressional District as “a top Republican pickup opportunity in 2026.” It said that the district went for President Joe Biden by 8.5 percentage points in 2020 but that Democratic support dwindled to a 2.3 percent margin of victory for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, according to an election analysis by The Downballot, a political news site.
“Nevada’s 1st Congressional District, long considered safely Democratic, is catching the attention of national political pundits as Henderson continues to grow and political momentum shifts,” her campaign said in the release.
Buck was ranked among the least effective lawmakers in Carson City during the 2025 legislative session because the Legislature did not pass any bills that she sponsored. She told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in June that her legislation was often killed by Democratic leadership.
Buck is the president of the Pinecrest Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group for charter school initiatives. She is married to a retired Henderson Police Department deputy chief and has four children, according to her campaign.
Titus defeated Republican challenger Mark Robertson, 52 percent to 44.5 percent, in the 2024 election.
“Congresswoman Titus is looking forward to contrasting her record with that of state Sen. Buck,” campaign spokesman Dick Cooper said. “The congresswoman has been ranked as the third-most effective Democrat in the House of Representatives. In contrast, Carrie Buck was the only Senate Republican to not pass any bills she sponsored in three Nevada legislative sessions.”
Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.
