Lombardo Battles Trump Backlash in Nevada Governor Race

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo is fighting to retain his office as Democrat Aaron Ford makes President Trump and rising living costs central issues in their gubernatorial contest. The race, unfolding in a politically competitive state that will again play a prominent role in the presidential campaign, could determine whether Republicans maintain their position at the top of Nevada's statewide ticket.

According to the Los Angeles Times, more than 335,000 ballots had already been cast with just over a week remaining in the campaign. Democrats have made Lombardo their primary gubernatorial target after losing the previous election four years earlier.

Trump visited downtown Las Vegas five days after returning to the White House, appearing alongside Lombardo at a rally. During the event, Trump pledged to direct his Cabinet to address inflation and everyday expenses, declaring that he had instructed officials to “marshal all powers at their disposal to defeat inflation and bring down the cost of daily life.”

Ford has built his campaign around affordability, arguing that federal policies under Trump are contributing to economic pressure on Nevada households. At a gas station near the Las Vegas Strip, he pointed to fuel prices and their effects on tourism, groceries and online shopping.

Ford blamed Trump's “war of choice” against Iran for the economic strain and challenged Lombardo's relationship with the president.

“And where,” Ford asked rhetorically, “is our current governor? As usual, he’s at Trump’s feet, serving as his doormat.”

Ford, Nevada's attorney general and a former state senator, is seeking to become the state's first Black governor. He grew up in Dallas in a family that struggled financially and relied on Medicaid and food stamps while raising a child as a young single father. He worked as a waiter and teacher while paying for law school and a Ph.D. in education before moving to Nevada in 2007.

Outside a Circle K station, where regular gasoline was selling for $5.35 per gallon, Ford signed an enlarged “letter” addressed to Trump demanding a “$2,000” rebate for every Nevada household to offset fuel expenses.

Ford contrasted Lombardo's current political alignment with the governor's earlier criticism of high fuel costs. Four years earlier, when gasoline was about $4.68 per gallon, Lombardo had called for “leadership that ensures our families and businesses are protected from these disastrous policies.”

“But once he got in office,” Ford said, Lombardo “stopped fighting for us in Nevada and he started working for Trump full time.”

Lombardo, a former law enforcement officer who served eight years as Clark County sheriff, became governor in 2022 after defeating Democratic incumbent Steve Sisolak. His administration has emphasized crime, education, employment and economic development while generally avoiding the most divisive national cultural disputes.

At a country-themed nightclub in northwest Las Vegas, Lombardo highlighted business creation, employment growth, teacher compensation and crime statistics as evidence of his administration's performance.

“Kicking butt,” he said, followed by another declaration: “Kicking butt.”

The governor also said Nevada's violent and property crime rates had declined, adding that the progress came “without any help from the attorney general.”

Lombardo has maintained some distance from Trump, particularly during the 2024 presidential campaign, and has occasionally criticized his administration's policies. He has opposed Medicaid cuts and the closure of wind and solar projects in Nevada.

Defending the economic role of wealthy business owners, Lombardo said, “Quite often when the press and the media runs him down, they think about, you know, he’s taking care of his billionaire friends,”

He continued, “Those billionaire friends provide jobs. Unless you take care of them, those jobs are absent.”

The remarks subsequently featured in a campaign advertisement showing Lombardo alongside Trump. The advertisement ended with the slogan, “Joe Lombardo. For Trump, Not Nevada.”

Lombardo has countered Ford's attacks by questioning the attorney general's judgment and integrity. He has criticized Ford's extensive out-of-state travel, which Ford says was for official business, and argued that the trips demonstrate his dependence on special interests that financed them.

The governor has also accused Ford of being weak on crime, citing a Nevada inmate convicted of manslaughter in the killing of a pregnant woman. Ford had placed the inmate's clemency request on the state pardons board's agenda. Lombardo presented the decision as evidence of Ford's approach to criminal justice, while Ford said he had followed established procedures.

The campaign has also highlighted the candidates' competing records on economic policy, public safety and their relationships with national political figures. Lombardo has emphasized state-level accomplishments, while Ford has continued to connect the governor to Trump's policies and their effects on Nevada residents.