Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford defeated Republican incumbent Joe Lombardo to become Nevada's first Black governor, securing 51.5% of the vote with 85% reported. Ford campaigned heavily on economic affordability, criticizing Lombardo over corporate housing developments, AI data center expansion, and federal tariffs that contributed to a 17% drop in Canadian tourism. Lombardo's defeat marks the second consecutive loss for a sitting Nevada governor.
2026 Nevada gubernatorial election outcome
- ▪Nevada Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford won the 2026 Nevada gubernatorial election, defeating Republican incumbent Joe Lombardo with 51.5% of the vote to 44.3% with approximately 85% of the vote reported
- ▪Aaron Ford's election victory makes him the first Black governor in the history of the state of Nevada
- ▪Aaron Ford's victory in 2026 makes Joe Lombardo the second consecutive incumbent governor of Nevada to fail to win re-election
Aaron Ford's background and career
- ▪During his campaign, Aaron Ford highlighted his upbringing experiencing poverty and hunger as a child before earning his law degree
- ▪Aaron Ford has served as Nevada's attorney general since 2019 and previously served as a math teacher and the Nevada Senate majority leader
Aaron Ford's economic campaign pledges
- ▪Aaron Ford pledged to repeal Nevada's longstanding right-to-work law and criticized Joe Lombardo for vetoing a bill to limit home purchases by corporate investors
- ▪Aaron Ford centered his gubernatorial campaign on affordability, pledging to cancel medical debt for low-income residents and tackle student loan debt
Debate over public land data centers
- ▪Democrats criticized Joe Lombardo over a summer 2026 agreement with the Trump administration intended to ease pathways for constructing data centers on public land in Nevada
- ▪Aaron Ford promised to pause new tax abatements for artificial intelligence data centers and oppose data center projects located on federal land in Nevada
Joe Lombardo's background
- ▪Joe Lombardo was elected governor of Nevada in 2022 after serving as the sheriff of Clark County, Nevada starting in 2014
- ▪Joe Lombardo became well known in 2017 while overseeing the investigation into the Las Vegas mass shooting as sheriff of Clark County
Nevada's electorate
- ▪Latino voters make up about 20% of Nevada's electorate and helped Donald Trump win the state in 2024
- ▪Nonpartisan voters make up nearly 40% of the electorate in Nevada, balancing Democratic strength in Las Vegas against heavily Republican rural areas
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