Nevada governor race 2026: Joe Lombardo vs. Aaron Ford

The basics

Nevadans vote Nov. 3. In the June 9 primaries, Lombardo won the Republican nomination with 91% of the vote, and Ford won the Democratic nomination with about 64% over Washoe County Commission Chair Alexis Hill. Except for 2018, Republicans have won every Nevada governor's race since 1998, and Lombardo unseated Democrat Steve Sisolak in 2022. Democrats control both chambers of the Legislature, while Donald Trump in 2024 became the first Republican presidential nominee to carry Nevada since 2004, ABC News reported. With gas and diesel prices up sharply during the war in Iran, Ford has said he could sign laws to return money to residents to offset fuel costs.

The candidates

Joe Lombardo (R) was Clark County sheriff before becoming governor. His record includes a bipartisan school accountability law, rollbacks of some criminal justice changes made after 2020 and a public financing deal for a new stadium for the Athletics, Nevada Public Radio reported. He has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, the NFIB, IBEW Local 1245 and the Las Vegas Review-Journal editorial board.

Aaron Ford (D) was elected attorney general in 2018 and reelected in 2022, after serving as Democratic leader of the state Senate. He grew up in Texas and practiced commercial law for about 15 years. The Culinary Union, Nevada's largest union of hospitality workers, endorsed him, and former President Barack Obama endorsed him in October. He says he would be "the most pro-working-class governor this state has ever seen," The American Prospect reported.

Where the race stands

Polls show a tie. A Noble Predictive Insights poll (Sept. 22–26, 708 likely voters, ±3.7) had Lombardo 42%, Ford 40%, and an Emerson College poll in September had Ford ahead by 2. STTPN's average includes only the Noble poll, the one independent survey in the past 45 days that met its standards. Cook, Inside Elections and Sabato's Crystal Ball all rate the race a Toss-up.

The issues

Costs and housing

Ford calls the state's conditions the "Lombardo-Trump economy" and points to housing, health care and energy costs, which his "Affordable Nevada Plan" targets, he told FOX5. He highlights Lombardo's vetoes of bills passed by the Democratic Legislature, including caps on prescription drug prices, paid family leave, limits on large investors buying homes and free school meals. Lombardo's campaign says Ford's agenda would cost Nevadans $18 billion with no plan to pay for it.

Data centers

Ford would halt new data center tax breaks until existing recipients are audited, require data centers to pay their own grid costs and let communities refuse them. Ford says Lombardo has backed tax breaks for data centers. STTPN did not find a detailed data center plan from Lombardo's campaign in the coverage it reviewed.

Crime and immigration

Ford says crime fell 12% during his time as attorney general. Lombardo's campaign says Ford backed a bill to limit cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities and a criminal justice law critics link to more retail theft. Ford opposes cooperation between local police and ICE.

Controversies

The two have not debated. Lombardo skipped a KUNR event, and Ford's campaign sent at least 18 press releases calling him "no-show Joe". Ford had earlier declined a debate on a conservative radio show and in the primary, The Nevada Independent reported.

Lombardo's campaign has attacked Ford over his travel as attorney general, which it says topped 420 days out of state, over IRS liens from 2010 to 2014 and over arrests in the 1990s, according to a campaign statement. Ford's campaign has accused Lombardo of using his position during a traffic stop, in which video shows him saying, "I'm Joe Lombardo," the Review-Journal reported.