Sara A. Carter (born May 31, 1980) is an American investigative journalist, podcast host, and now a senior government official. She built her career covering national security, terrorism, and immigration before joining Fox News in 2017.
In January 2026, the U.S. Senate confirmed her as the 10th Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Who is Sara Carter Journalist?
Sara A. Carter is an award-winning American investigative journalist whose reporting has spanned front-line war zones, border security, and national intelligence.
She spent over a decade covering terrorism, immigration, and U.S. national security for major publications and broadcast outlets.
Carter first gained wide national attention through her work at Fox News, where she joined as a contributor in December 2017. Her reporting there focused heavily on border security, cartel activity, and government intelligence issues.
She became the first woman to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) after her Senate confirmation in January 2026.
Beyond television, Carter launched her own platform at SaraACarter.com and hosted The Sara Carter Show podcast, distributed through Fox.
Her journalism earned her two National Headliner Awards and the Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
Early Life of Sara Carter Journalist
Sara Carter grew up in Saudi Arabia before her family relocated to the United States. Her mother arrived in the U.S. as a Cuban refugee, coming to Miami on one of the Freedom Flights from Cuba during the 1960s.
Her father served as a United States Marine Corps veteran who participated in two wars.
After moving to the U.S., Carter attended Lutheran High School in La Verne, California, a small city in Los Angeles County. She is bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish fluently, a skill she credits partly to her Cuban-American heritage.
Carter has three sisters, Monique L. Griffith, Nathalie Rodgers, and Sylviane Laforet, and one brother, Pierre A. Rodgers.
Sara Carter Journalist Age
Sara Carter is 46 years old as of June 10, 2026, born on May 31, 1980. Her zodiac sign is Gemini.
In January 2026, she assumed the role of ONDCP Director, making her the first woman to hold the position in the office’s history.
Sara Carter Journalist Ethnicity and Nationality
Carter holds American nationality and was born in the United States. Her ethnic background is Cuban-American, with her mother having immigrated from Cuba as a refugee.
Her father’s service as a U.S. Marine Corps veteran gave her a deeply rooted connection to American military and national security affairs. That background directly shaped her career focus as a reporter.
Sara Carter Journalist Education
After high school, Carter enrolled at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Communication.
The university gave her the foundational training for her later award-winning investigative work.
Carter also pursued coursework at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) following her undergraduate degree. This additional training broadened her range as a broadcast communicator.
She speaks Spanish fluently alongside English, an advantage that proved critical throughout her reporting on the U.S.-Mexico border and Latin American drug trafficking networks.
Sara Carter Journalist Career
Early Career
Carter began her professional journalism career in March 2002 as a reporter with the Los Angeles News Group. She spent about five years there covering local and regional stories, including her groundbreaking “Jamie’s Story” series, which focused on a child born into the Mexican Mafia and gangs in Southern California.
That series earned her her first National Headliner Award. Her early work also included in-depth reporting on San Bernardino and Los Angeles Counties, which led directly to the forced retirement of city officials and changes in local laws and education programs.
Major Positions Held
Carter moved to The Washington Times, where she worked as a national security correspondent. She also held a position at The Washington Examiner during her career’s growth phase.
Along the way, she wrote exclusives for USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, and Arutz Sheva in Israel. By 2015, she joined Circa News in Alexandria, Virginia, as a senior national security correspondent.
Her reporting during this period took her to conflict zones including Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan. She embedded with U.S. troops along Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan, spending days under mortar fire and small-arms attacks from Taliban insurgents.
Carter’s border reporting exposed drug trafficking routes, secret tunnel networks, and the role of Mexican federal officials in the narcotics trade.
This work earned her broad recognition across regional, national, and international journalism awards circuits.
She also co-founded Border911.com, a platform focused on U.S. border security reporting and awareness.
Current Role
Carter joined Fox News as a contributor in December 2017. During her time there, she reported extensively on the southern border under the Biden administration and hosted The Sara Carter Show podcast.
In March 2025, President Donald Trump nominated her to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
She served as a special advisor to Trump within ONDCP beginning in May 2025, ahead of her Senate vote.
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced her nomination in October 2025 by a 12-10 party-line vote. On January 6, 2026, the full U.S. Senate confirmed her in a 52-48 vote as the 10th Director of the ONDCP.
Carter became the first woman ever to lead the office, commonly known as the nation’s “drug czar” post. She assumed the role officially on January 9, 2026.
Sara Carter Journalist Notable Coverage
Carter’s most impactful journalism centered on the U.S.-Mexico border and national security threats. Her multi-part investigation in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, directly exposed the brutality of the Gulf Cartel and Sinaloa Cartel wars.
She embedded with Pakistani army units in North Waziristan and South Waziristan to report on insurgent activity along the Afghan-Pakistani border.
Her reporting on Afghan women and children addicted to opium earned her first place at the Washington, D.C. AP awards.
Carter also broke multiple stories on ISIS and al-Qaeda in South Asia and the Middle East. One of her reports published verified ISIS documents revealing the group’s strategic plans for the region.
Her investigative work near the U.S.-Mexico border opened national conversations about drug trafficking and border security.
The stories directly influenced law enforcement operations and legislative changes in Southern California.
Sara Carter Journalist Awards and Recognition
Carter received two National Headliner Awards across her career. The first honored “Jamie’s Story,” her investigation into gang recruitment in Southern California.
The second, awarded in 2006, recognized her “Beyond Borders” series on immigration and national security along the southwest border.
In 2006, she also received the Eugene Katz Award from the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, D.C. for her immigration coverage. That same year, she earned the California Newspaper Publishers Association Freedom of Information Act Award.
In 2008, the Society of Professional Journalists honored her with the nationally recognized Sigma Delta Chi Award for her multi-part investigation in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.
Her Washington, D.C. AP award for first place in reporting on opium-affected Afghan women and children added to an already substantial portfolio of honors.
Sara Carter Journalist Husband
Carter married Martin Bailey in October 2010. Martin served as a Master Sergeant with the United States Armed Forces and is a combat veteran.
In April 2011, Martin lost his sight after sustaining injuries from a bomb attack while on mission in Afghanistan fighting for the Defense Department. Despite his injury, he has been described as a war hero by multiple sources covering Carter’s career.
The couple has remained together since their 2010 wedding.
Sara Carter Journalist Children
Carter and her husband Martin Bailey are parents to six children. Two of their children named publicly are Benjamin and Analiese.
The family lived in La Verne, California, for a period. As of 2025, Carter reportedly resides in Texas.
Balancing her career as an investigative reporter with raising six children and supporting her husband after his injury has been a defining aspect of her personal story.
Sara Carter Journalist Net Worth
Sara Carter’s estimated net worth is $3 million as of 2026. Her income comes from her long career as an investigative journalist, her work as a Fox News contributor, her podcast, and her personal reporting platform SaraACarter.com.
Her Fox News contributor role, which she held from December 2017 through 2025, included a significant salary component. Plus, her podcast and website added additional income streams over the years.
Her January 2026 appointment as ONDCP Director, a Senate-confirmed cabinet-level position, marked a new chapter in her professional earning history.
Sara Carter Journalist Social Media
Carter is active on X (formerly Twitter) under the handle @SaraCarterDC, where she built a large following during her years at Fox News covering national security and border issues.
On Instagram, she posts under @scarterdc, a handle verified through her official website SaraACarter.com. Her Instagram presence covers her journalism work, public appearances, and personal updates.
She also maintains a Truth Social account under @SaraCarterOfficial. Her website, SaraACarter.com, serves as the central hub for her published investigative reporting and podcast content.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sara Carter Journalist’s role or position?
Sara Carter currently serves as the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 6, 2026. She is the first woman to hold the position in the office’s history.
How old is Sara Carter Journalist?
Sara Carter is 46 years old as of June 10, 2026, born on May 31, 1980.
What is Sara Carter Journalist’s net worth?
Sara Carter’s estimated net worth is $3 million as of 2026, built through her investigative journalism career, Fox News contributor role, and podcast hosting.
Where did Sara Carter Journalist study?
Carter earned her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She also attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Who is Sara Carter Journalist married to?
Carter is married to Martin Bailey, a retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant and combat veteran. They married in October 2010.
What awards has Sara Carter Journalist won?
Carter received two National Headliner Awards, the Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists (2008), the Eugene Katz Award from the Center for Immigration Studies (2006), and a first-place Washington, D.C. AP award for her Afghanistan reporting.
The Bottom Line
Sara Carter spent over two decades as an investigative journalist, earning two National Headliner Awards and the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi Award for her cartel reporting in 2008.
Her work on drug trafficking, border security, and national security directly shaped public and legislative outcomes in the United States.
She brought her Cuban-American heritage and bilingual skills to coverage that spanned war zones in Afghanistan and Pakistan, cartel territories in Mexico, and intelligence scandals in Washington, D.C.
Her husband Martin Bailey lost his sight in a 2011 bombing in Afghanistan while she was simultaneously covering that same war.
In January 2026, Carter became the first woman to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy, taking the helm of a $44 billion federal drug policy operation under President Trump.
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