Six months before filing for office even opens, the Republican Party establishment is trying to pick the GOP nominee for Nevada’s 1st congressional district – currently being misrepresented by Rep. Dina Titus (D) – by anointing State Sen. Carrie Buck.
The Beltway brass at the Republican National Committee (RNC) and National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) out of DC have lined up behind Buck and, therefore, all of us should to do the same.
No need for a primary. The powers-that-be have spoken.
Not so fast.
Buck’s name ID outside of the insider political circles is negligible.
I spoke with a prominent Las Vegas business owner who is a former elected official and active in local GOP politics just yesterday – who had no idea who she was.
Try walking around the grocery stores in Buck’s district and ask if they know who their state senator is. I’d be surprised if one in ten can name her.
And what about the campaign trail?
When Buck first won her senate seat in 2020 – without the benefit of incumbency and in a swing district – she only won 48.8% – 48.3%. Not exactly an electoral colossus.
Yes, she won handily in her re-election bid last year. But that was after the district became more GOP friendly thanks to re-districting and with the power of incumbency behind her.
How would she do in a bare-knuckle street fight against incumbent Titus in a district extremely favorable to Democrats? How will she hold up under the scrutiny of a national campaign? Will she give as good as she gets?
We don’t know. But her campaign after her big announcement two weeks ago leaves much to be desired.
Her website still looks like a second-grader designed it. And her social media presence on X – the social media channel of choice in politics – has amounted to two posts over the past two weeks since announcing.
And neither was exactly scintillating.
There was a pretty lame selfie-video last week in which Buck wrote…
“Almost seven days in, and the heart of this campaign is already beating strong. Our grassroots team is growing by the day. Let’s keep up the momentum and flip #NV01 in 2026.”
Yawn. Typical consultant-driven pablum. Not exactly beating-heart strong. I doubt Titus is quaking in her boots.
Then there was this one on Friday…
“I was raised to work hard, tell the truth, and never back down from a fight. As a State Senator, I’ve gone toe to toe with Democrats to hold them accountable, protect our communities, and defend Nevada families. In Congress, I’ll do the same, and I won’t blink.”
Again, consultant-driven drivel.
I mean, how many among us sit around the dinner table and say, “If only we could find a candidate who will hold Democrats accountable and defend Nevada families”?
If this is a harbinger of things to come, Titus must be rubbing her hands with glee.
So maybe, just maybe, we shouldn’t be anointing Sen. Buck just yet.
Maybe, just maybe, we should stop letting the Republican establishment pick the GOP nominee.
Maybe, just maybe, we should see how she does on the campaign trail over the next few months first.
Maybe, just maybe, we should nominate a candidate who won’t run the same kind of consultant-driven cookie-cutter campaign that has consistently lost races in recent years.
Maybe, just maybe, we shouldn’t hand Sen. Buck the nomination on a silver platter six months before filing opens and instead force her to earn it in a competitive primary.
Crazy ideas, right?
