Aaron Ford defeats Joe Lombardo in Nevada governor race

Ford will become the first Black governor of a state west of the Mississippi River

NPR, citing an Associated Press race call, reported from Reno that Democratic Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford unseated Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo in a contest considered one of the most competitive gubernatorial races in the U.S. Ford will become the first Black governor of a state west of the Mississippi River. Lucia Starbuck, a political reporter for KUNR, wrote the report for NPR.

Before the election, Ford served as Nevada’s first Black Senate majority leader and as attorney general. He was first elected to the state legislature in 2012. Before that, he practiced law privately and taught math.

As attorney general, Ford successfully joined lawsuits against the Trump administration to uphold birthright citizenship, stop federal election interference and restore education funding.

Throughout his campaign, Ford blamed Nevada’s economic woes on Lombardo and Trump. He cited some of the highest gas prices in the country, at over $5 per gallon, and declining tourism, one of the state’s main sources of revenue. Ford attributed the gas-price and tourism conditions to tariffs and immigration crackdowns.

Nevada also risks losing an estimated $1.2 billion in federal funding because of changes to Medicaid and food assistance, along with cuts to Affordable Care Act health insurance.

Ford pledged to bring back bills outgoing Lombardo killed during his record-breaking vetoes. The measures would limit the number of homes large corporations can buy and give Nevada authority to adopt Medicaid-negotiated prescription drug prices.

Lombardo was elected governor in 2022 after previously serving as sheriff, and President Trump endorsed him during the campaign. Lombardo told voters that he would continue the work of his first term, when he increased pay for teachers and state employees and set aside $133 million to develop housing for middle-income Nevadans.

Both candidates had a hand in tax breaks for data centers, but they argued over who would be tougher on them now.