Lombardo, Ford declared winners in Nevada's gubernatorial primaries
LAS VEGAS - Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo and Attorney General Aaron Ford were declared the victors in their respective parties' gubernatorial primaries following preliminary voting results released Tuesday night.
The Associated Press called the races shortly after results began coming in. The Republican incumbent and Democratic challenger will continue to battle it out in the highest-profile campaign in Nevada this year.
They have trained attacks on each other for months, completely ignoring their primary challengers.
Ford's campaign has tried to tie the Republican governor to President Donald Trump's economic agenda. Meanwhile, Lombardo's team has attempted to link Ford to national Democrats like California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Lombardo garnered a Trump endorsement in November, while Harris threw her support behind Ford in a Las Vegas appearance this year.
The governor had 91.9% of the vote in the GOP primary and Ford had 64.7% of the vote from registered Democrats, besting Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill, who had 22.5% of the vote. The totals were as of 12:05 a.m. Wednesday.
Hill campaigned throughout the state in the months leading up to Tuesday. She conceded the race later in the evening. "Democrats have to win this and turn Nevada back to a fully blue state," Hill wrote in a statement.
Lombardo thanked his supporters in a statement, highlighting his administration's policies.
"But there is more to do," he wrote. "Too many families are still feeling the pressure of rising costs, too many students need greater opportunities to succeed, and too many communities are waiting for the next chapter of growth and investment."
The pro-Lombardo Better Nevada PAC and the Republican Governors Association were quick to praise the governor while attacking Ford.
"In November, Nevadans will choose to build on this momentum and re-elect Governor Lombardo, rejecting the absent Aaron Ford and his weak on crime, woke liberal agenda that would take Nevada backwards," the association's chair said in a statement.
Ford was set to address a packed hall at the Las Vegas headquarters of Culinary Local 226. Supporters cheered loudly at the sound of "Aaron Ford for governor."
His campaign manager, Zoë Kleinfeld, attacked Lombardo and described Ford's win as a mandate.
"The contrast in this race couldn't be clearer. This November is a choice between a doormat of a governor who has spent four years telling Nevadans to accept less, and a champion who has spent his career fighting for more on behalf of Nevadans – lower costs, real accountability, and a state where working families aren't an afterthought," Kleinfeld wrote in a statement.
The Nevada Democratic Party echoed the Ford campaign in a statement.
"Attorney General Aaron Ford has a proven track record of fighting for Nevadans and putting money back in working families' pockets," said party Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno. "As Nevada's top law enforcement officer, Ford has worked to make our communities safe and taken on big drug companies that rip off Nevadans."
The Lombardo and Ford campaigns had raised considerable funds, with the governor reporting having more than $10 million on hand in mid-April. Ford had more than $2 million available during the same time period.
Ford is hoping to make Lombardo the state's second consecutive one-term governor. Lombardo defeated then-Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak after just one term. The 2022 race centered around Nevada's pandemic response and the economy.
___
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.