Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford has unseated Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, flipping the governor’s office in one of the country’s most closely watched battleground races.
The Associated Press called the race for Ford at 4:46 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, the Washington Examiner reported. With 85% of the vote counted at that time, Ford led 51.5% to 44.3%.
Ford, a Democrat, will be Nevada’s first Black governor, the AP reported. He has served as the state’s top prosecutor since 2019 and previously led the Nevada Senate as majority leader.
“This campaign didn’t happen by accident,” Ford told supporters in Las Vegas. “It happened because of faith, because of family, because of hard work, and because the people of Nevada decided that our best days are still ahead of us.”
Affordability Fight
Ford ran on housing costs, energy bills and student debt. He hammered Lombardo for vetoing bills that he said would help families, including a limit on home purchases by corporate investors and free school meals.
He also promised to pause new tax breaks for artificial intelligence data centers and oppose such projects on federal land, tapping into voter worries about water use and electricity costs.
Lombardo, a former Clark County sheriff, ran on his record on public safety, education and the economy. He accused Ford of bringing the “Newsom playbook” of higher taxes and more regulation from California, according to the AP.
The governor’s campaign also argued Ford’s platform could cost billions over four years, which Ford disputed, Fox News reported. Lombardo won the endorsement of the Democratic district attorney for Clark County.
Both men faced controversy. Ford’s campaign attacked Lombardo after body-camera video showed him telling a Las Vegas officer “I’m Joe Lombardo” during a traffic stop and leaving without a ticket.
Lombardo’s campaign blasted Ford for backing consideration of a clemency application for a man who killed a pregnant woman in 2017. The two candidates never agreed on a traditional debate.
Democrats tied Lombardo to Trump’s tariffs, which they said hurt Las Vegas tourism. With Democrats already holding both chambers of the Legislature, Ford’s win could give the party unified control of state government, according to Fox News.
Ford got campaign help from national Democrats eyeing 2028, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris. He also built his record suing a student loan servicer and the gaming platform Roblox.
Nonpartisan voters make up nearly 40% of Nevada’s electorate, making statewide races hard to predict. Lombardo won his first term narrowly in 2022 by defeating Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak.
Trump carried Nevada in 2024 with 50.6% of the vote. Ford’s victory gives Democrats a key foothold in a state that will matter again in the 2028 presidential race.
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