Get you up to speed: Nevada GOP Gov. Joe Lombardo projected to face Democrat Aaron Ford in one of this year’s most competitive races
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford and Republican Governor Joe Lombardo won their respective party primaries in the Nevada gubernatorial race. The election is set for November, with the Cook Political Report rating the race as a toss up.
The Nevada gubernatorial election is expected to be a referendum on President Trump’s policies, particularly affecting tourism, which accounts for 30% of the region’s jobs. The Cook Political Report has classified the race as a toss-up, highlighting its competitive nature ahead of the November election.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford and Governor Joe Lombardo have secured their parties’ nominations for the gubernatorial race, with political analysts highlighting the November election as a potential referendum on President Trump. The Democratic Governors’ Association has prioritised Nevada as a key target, while the Cook Political Report has classified the race as a toss-up.
What remains unclear — The specific impact of Donald Trump‘s policies on Nevada’s tourism sector and its correlation to voter sentiments in the upcoming election is not fully detailed.
Joe Lombardo and Aaron Ford set to face off in Nevada gubernatorial race
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat, and Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo won their parties’ primaries in this year’s Nevada gubernatorial race, WTX US News projects, setting up the November ballot in one of the races Democrats are targeting.
Ford, who is from Clark County, defeated several primary opponents on Tuesday, with his most formidable challenge coming from progressive Alexis Hill. According to University of Nevada-Las Vegas political science professor Rebecca Gill, Ford had entered the race with name recognition and a structural advantage as the highest-ranking Democrat elected statewide.
Lombardo also defeated multiple primary opponents on Tuesday.
Democrats in the state have already begun zeroing in on Lombardo, and the Democratic Governors’ Association has identified Nevada as one of its top targets.
The Cook Political Report has rated the Nevada gubernatorial race as a toss up.
The November election is expected to be largely a referendum on President Trump, as the state has been hit hard by some of Mr. Trump’s signature policies, including immigration and tariffs. Canadians account for half of Las Vegas’ foreign tourism, which has dropped by 17% in 2025.
Tourism, which accounts for 30% of the region’s jobs, in 2025 declined 7.5% overall, the largest visitor drop outside of the pandemic since 1970, when the city started tracking data.
As attorney general, Ford signed onto more than 40 lawsuits in 2025 against the Trump administration, something that will figure prominently in his effort to unseat Lombardo.
Lombardo told Politico earlier this year that he is “concerned” about reelection.
“Not only because of my re-elect but because of Nevada, right?” Lombardo said. “What’s the proverbial line — all politics are local? It’s no longer that way. What’s happening worldwide, nationally, either we embrace it or we don’t.”
Gill, the political scientist, said Lombardo will have an “uphill battle” in November.
Nevada had voted for Democrats in most presidential elections since 2008, and the state has two Democratic senators. But the state’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism, which was decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic and its lockdowns, leading Nevadans to vote Lombardo into office as governor in 2022. Two years later, Mr. Trump won the state by three points.