Nevada AG Wins Governor's Race

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford has defeated Republican Governor Joe Lombardo, according to an Associated Press race call. The result ends Lombardo's single term in the executive mansion and places a Democrat back in charge of the state government.

Ford is the first Black governor of a state located west of the Mississippi River. He previously served as Nevada's first Black Senate majority leader and attorney general. His political career began in 2012 when voters first elected him to the state legislature. Before entering public office, Ford worked as a private lawyer and a math teacher.

During his time as attorney general, Ford joined legal challenges against the Trump administration. Those lawsuits aimed to uphold birthright citizenship, stop federal interference in elections, and restore education funding. He will now move those policy positions into the governor's office.

The campaign focused heavily on the state economy. Ford blamed Lombardo and President Trump for high gas prices and falling tourism revenue. Gas prices in the state recently exceeded $5 per gallon. Tourism remains a primary source of state income, but it has declined due to tariffs and immigration enforcement actions.

Nevada faces an estimated loss of $1.2 billion in federal funding. That potential cut stems from changes to Medicaid, food assistance programs, and Affordable Care Act health insurance provisions. Ford pledged to address these fiscal pressures in his new administration.

Ford also promised to revive bills that Lombardo vetoed. Those measures included limits on the number of homes large corporations can buy and state power to adopt Medicaid negotiated prescription drug prices. Lombardo, who was a sheriff before his election in 2022, campaigned on his first-term record. He cited teacher pay increases and $133 million set aside for middle-income housing development.

Both candidates supported tax breaks for data centers. They differed on how aggressively to regulate the industry. Trump endorsed Lombardo in the race. The outcome signals a shift in control for the state's executive branch following the midterms.