electy.org logo electy.org
← All governor races
Nov 3, 2026

Nevada — Governor

⭐ Gov. Joe Lombardo is seeking a second term against Attorney General Aaron Ford. Get caught up ↓

Aaron Ford
Aaron Ford
Democrat · Age 53–54

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
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? CookTOSS-UPSabatoTOSS-UPDDHQTOSS-UP
Ratings: Cook Political Report (Sept 10), Sabato’s Crystal Ball (Sept 22), Decision Desk HQ (Sept 12). Sources: Wikipedia (Cook, DDHQ) · 270toWin (Sabato)
Ford
44
Lombardo
42

Eleven percent are undecided. Ford leads among Hispanic voters by 31 points and women by 11; Lombardo leads among white voters by 13 and men by 6.

Emerson College / KLAS-TV, Sept 5–8, 680 likely voters, ±3.7 → Sept 5–8

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.

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:

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.
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."
{{ row.bill }}
{{ row.detail }}
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
{{ fordSays }}
LOMBARDO SAYS
{{ jlSays }}

Their big promises

FORD'S TOP 3
Lower housing costs
Take on Wall Street landlords, fight tariffs on building materials, and speed up permitting with local governments.
Cut health-care bills
Rein in pharmacy benefit managers and set up a medical-debt relief program.
Make data centers pay their way
No new tax breaks until they deliver, and they must bring their own clean power, grid upgrades and water.
LOMBARDO'S TOP 3
Keep the economy growing
Runs on job growth, a record Rainy Day Fund, a 15% business-tax cut and 900+ regulations cut.
Schools and school choice
Builds on $2B in new school funding, teacher raises, and expanded charter seats.
Be the check on the Legislature
Points to a state-record 160+ vetoes of what he calls bad, partisan bills.
Money & campaign finance

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

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

Sources

  1. Aaron Ford for Nevada Governor — Issues · campaign website, accessed Sept 28, 2026
  2. Joe Lombardo for Governor — Results · campaign website, accessed Sept 28, 2026
  3. Nevada 2026 poll: Ford and Lombardo · Emerson College / KLAS-TV, Sept 5–8, 2026
  4. 2026 United States gubernatorial elections · Wikipedia (Cook, DDHQ ratings)
  5. Sabato’s Crystal Ball 2026 governor ratings · 270toWin
  6. Veto ledger · Nevada Legislature, 2023 and 2025 sessions
  7. Money, immigration and crime records · campaign finance reports and news coverage, 2025–26
Positions summarized from the candidates’ campaign websites · September 2026
Spot an error or a missing race? Let us know.
Contact us
Privacy policy