Nov 3, 2026

Nevada - Governor

⭐ The most vulnerable Republican governor in the country defends his seat against the state's attorney general. Get caught up ↓

Aaron Ford

Democrat - Age: 54

Nevada's attorney general since 2019 and former state Senate majority leader. A former public-school teacher who grew up on food stamps in Dallas.

Campaign website →

Joe Lombardo

Republican - Age: 63

Governor since 2023, seeking a second term. Former Clark County sheriff — the only Republican to unseat a sitting Democratic governor in 2022.

Campaign website →

Who's ahead? TOSS-UP

Lombardo

40.0

Ford

39.5

Roughly one in five voters is still undecided — one of the biggest persuadable blocs in any marquee 2026 race.

Average of recent public polls (RCP) → As of July 2026

What's actually at stake

A governor isn't one vote among 100 — they run the state. Here's what the winner controls.

The budget

Proposes the ~$12B state budget — schools, Medicaid, and housing funds all start here.

The veto pen

Both chambers of Nevada's Legislature are Democratic. The governor decides what becomes law.

The Guard & ICE

Commands the National Guard and sets how far state agencies cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

2030 redistricting

The winner will hold the veto pen when Nevada redraws its congressional maps after the 2030 census.

The veto ledger

Lombardo has vetoed 162 bills — a state record. Ford says he'd sign many of them. It's the clearest way to see the difference:

LOMBARDO ON HIS VETOES

"They made Nevada less safe, they grew government, raised taxes or misused your hard-earned taxpayer dollars… I won't hesitate to say no again."

FORD ON THE VETOES

Calls it a record of "broken promises" — pointing to vetoed bills on housing, prescription drugs, and school meals while costs hit record highs.

JL VETOED AF WOULD SIGN

Vetoes from the 2023 and 2025 legislative sessions · Ford positions from campaign statements and his platform

Where they stand

The issues a Nevada governor actually decides. Tap one that matters to you.

FORD SAYS

LOMBARDO SAYS

✓ Money & integrity check

Governors sign contracts, hand out incentives, and appoint regulators — so follow the money.

LOMBARDO

FORD

$14M War chest (campaign + allied PAC, Q1 2026) $2.7M

Lombardo: runs a nonprofit fund that doesn't disclose donors — and vetoed the bill that would have required it FLAG

Lombardo: approved $700M+ in public money for the A's stadium and Tesla — projects that benefit major donors FLAG

Ford: facing a state ethics complaint over campaign use of official accounts and $35K in sponsored trips FLAG

Ford: law firms earning $165M+ in state legal fees are major donors to his allied PAC FLAG

Neither side has clean hands here — both have real questions to answer about who funds them and who benefits. — campaign finance reports and news coverage, 2025–26

Their stories

AARON FORD

1972Born in Dallas; raised working-class, relying on food stamps and public schools.

1990sTaught public school in Texas, then earned five degrees — including a law degree and a PhD.

2013Elected to the Nevada Senate from Las Vegas; rose to majority leader.

2019Became attorney general; won record opioid settlements and sued over federal rollbacks.

2026Term-limited as AG; won the Democratic primary for governor with 64%.

JOE LOMBARDO

1962Born in Japan to a military family; graduated from Rancho High in Las Vegas.

1988Joined Las Vegas Metro police after Army service; served 25+ years.

2014Elected Clark County sheriff; led the response to the 2017 Route 91 mass shooting.

2022Beat Gov. Sisolak by 1.5 points — the only challenger to unseat a governor that year.

2026Seeks a second term with Trump's endorsement and a record 162 vetoes.

The backstory

Nevada does this every time: the 2022 governor's race was decided by about 15,000 votes, and this one is polling inside a single point. Lombardo has governed as a Republican check on a Democratic legislature — signing a record teacher-raise fund and a $183M housing program, while vetoing 162 bills on rent caps, paid family leave, guns, and school meals.

Ford's case is cost of living: Nevada has had the nation's highest unemployment rate for over a year, housing costs are at record highs, and he blames the "Lombardo-Trump economy." Lombardo's case is his record: job growth, a $14M war chest, and a warning that a Democratic governor plus a Democratic legislature would leave no one to say no in Carson City.

The deciders: Latino voters (Ford led by 24 points in spring polling), the Washoe County suburbs, and an unusually large undecided bloc. Trump won Nevada in 2024 — but he's underwater here now, and both campaigns know it.

Positions summarized from campaign websites, veto records, and news reports · July 2026
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