NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Isaac E. Barron, who has represented Ward 1 on the North Las Vegas City Council since 2013 and is now term-limited, is running in the Democratic primary for Nevada State Senate District 2 against incumbent Sen. Edgar Flores.
Barron, a Democrat, announced his candidacy late last year and filed during the recent candidate filing period that closed in March. The June 9 primary will effectively decide the general election in the heavily Democratic district, which covers parts of the east side of the northern Las Vegas Valley and includes a large Hispanic population. No Republican filed for the seat.
Barron, a native of North Las Vegas, grew up in a working-class immigrant household. His parents came from Mexico; his father worked as a kitchen laborer and his mother as a maid. He has often spoken of that background as shaping his focus on education, economic opportunity and community support.
Before entering politics, Barron spent nearly three decades as a teacher in the Clark County School District. He taught English-language learners at French Ford Middle School and English-language learners and social studies at Rancho High School, his alma mater. He also worked in adult education and served as adviser to the Hispanic Student Union and as a boys’ and girls’ soccer coach. He earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University. He retired from teaching in 2024.
Barron was elected to the City Council in 2017 and re-elected in 2022 with strong majorities. He became the first Hispanic member of the North Las Vegas City Council and later served as mayor pro tempore, the first Hispanic to hold that role in Southern Nevada. During his tenure he has emphasized stabilizing city finances, supporting downtown redevelopment, easing regulations for small businesses and bolstering public safety through additional hiring of police officers, firefighters and other city workers.
He has also remained active in education governance. In 2023 the City Council appointed him to represent North Las Vegas as a trustee on the Clark County School District board — a selection that drew some criticism at the time because he was still a district employee. After his retirement he formally joined the board.
In an interview with The Nevada Independent, Barron said he decided to run for the Senate because he saw unfinished work in state-level education reform, including infrastructure needs and affordability for families. “I’m running to make a positive change in the district,” he said. “I think whatever issue he has, that would be for him to resolve.” He added that he was focused on improving the lives of residents in District 2 rather than on his opponent’s record.
Barron’s campaign website outlines four main priorities: increasing per-pupil funding and expanding access to affordable early-childhood programs; diversifying Nevada’s economy to create high-paying jobs and supporting local entrepreneurs and small businesses; expanding vocational training and trade apprenticeships; and strengthening community safety through smarter policies, resources for first responders and youth programs.
Barron’s entry into the contest marks his first formal bid for state office, though he has been involved in local political efforts behind the scenes for years. With the primary still weeks away, both candidates are expected to focus on turnout in a district where the winner will serve a four-year term beginning in November.
Barron’s supporters point to his long record of local service and roots in the community as qualifications for the larger role. Critics of the challenge, including some labor groups that have backed Flores in the past, may highlight the value of legislative experience. Barron himself frames the race in simpler terms: a teacher and councilman who believes the state can do more for the students and families he has spent his career serving.
Want to know more about Isaac Barron? Click Here https://www.isaacbarron.org/
