Aaron Ford defeats Joe Lombardo in Nevada governor’s race, NBC News projects

Democrat Aaron Ford has defeated Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo in Nevada’s gubernatorial election, NBC News projects. Ford, the state’s attorney general, will become Nevada’s first Black governor. The result returns the governorship to Democrats after Lombardo won it in 2022.

Economic concerns were central to Ford’s campaign. He and his supporters sought to tie Lombardo to President Donald Trump, arguing that voters should judge both Republicans on their management of the economy. Their criticism repeatedly targeted what they called the “Lombardo-Trump economy,” as the costs of goods, gasoline, housing and health care weighed on Nevada voters.

Democrats focused much of their criticism on Trump’s 2025 legislation combining tax cuts and spending measures, warning that it would severely harm poor Nevadans. They also singled out his tariffs as a concern for Nevada because of its heavy reliance on tourism. Another target was Lombardo’s agreement with the Trump administration this summer, which could make it easier to develop more data centers on public land in the state.

Ford’s approach echoed the strategy that helped Lombardo defeat Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak four years earlier. In that contest, Lombardo drew on voters’ frustration with the economy and connected the incumbent governor to policies pursued by his party in Washington. This time, Lombardo faced a similar argument from his Democratic challenger.

Lombardo tried to balance support for Trump with disagreements over some federal policies in the battleground state. He joined the president during a Nevada visit this summer and praised measures such as reducing taxes on tips. But he had also quickly opposed some of Trump’s tariffs in 2025 and emphasized differences with the president on issues including solar power.

The governor presented himself as working to lower living costs while distancing himself from federal decisions he said “I can’t control.” He also drew on his law enforcement background to argue that Democrats were weak on crime. Those messages did not secure another term in one of the country’s most competitive states.

With Lombardo’s defeat, Nevada’s two most recent governors have failed to win re-election. Ford’s victory gives Democrats a boost two years before the next presidential election and reverses Republican momentum following Lombardo’s 2022 win and Trump’s victory in the state in 2024.

Nevada was also among the states where Trump allies attempted to overturn Joe Biden’s presidential victory by preparing alternate elector slates that falsely identified Trump as the winner.