Nevada governor 2026

Compare candidates running in this Nevada federal race. Review their positions, voting records, campaign promises, and donor information.

Alexis Hill

Party: Democrat

Aaron Darnell Ford

Party: Democrat

Joseph Michael Lombardo

Party: Republican

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governor

Nevada governor

Election: Nov 3, 2026Updated: Apr 10, 2026
toss up★ Flip Potential— Cook Political Report

Nevada is a swing state that could determine party control of governorships nationwide. The race between Lombardo and Democrat Aaron Ford is a toss-up where either party has a good chance of winning. This seat directly impacts whether Republicans can maintain their narrow advantage in gubernatorial control.

Alexis HillD
Aaron Darnell FordD
Joseph Michael LombardoR

Summary

Alexis Hill is a Washoe County Commission Chair and Democratic challenger in the 2026 gubernatorial primary. Born in Sparks, Nevada, Hill has worked in public policy, city planning, and nonprofit roles in the Reno-Sparks region. First elected to the Washoe County Commission in 2020, she won re-election in 2024 by a 15-point margin. Hill gained national attention in July 2024 when she voted to certify primary election recount results against Republican commissioners' resistance, defending election integrity. She announced her gubernatorial candidacy in July 2025, positioning herself as an anti-establishment progressive offering 'real solutions' to housing, education, and tax reform.

Aaron Ford is Nevada's 34th Attorney General, serving since January 7, 2019, and the first African-American to hold a statewide constitutional office in Nevada. Born May 24, 1972, in Dallas, Texas, Ford earned his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University (1994) and holds five advanced degrees including a Ph.D. He worked as a public school math teacher before becoming an attorney and Nevada State Senator (2013-2018), where he served as Senate Majority Leader. As Attorney General, Ford secured $1.1 billion in aggregate opioid settlements for Nevada. He officially launched his 2026 gubernatorial campaign in July 2025 after being term-limited from seeking reelection as AG.

Joe Lombardo is the 31st Governor of Nevada, serving since January 2, 2023. Born in Sapporo, Japan, in 1962, he moved to Las Vegas in 1976 and built a 34-year law enforcement career with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, serving as Clark County Sheriff from 2015 to 2023. In 2022, Lombardo defeated incumbent Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak by 1.51 percentage points with 48.8% of the vote. He describes himself as a moderate Republican and has focused his governorship on education reform, public safety, and economic development, though critics argue his policies have failed to address housing affordability and unemployment.

View Alexis Hill's Full Profile →View Aaron Darnell Ford's Full Profile →View Joseph Michael Lombardo's Full Profile →

Campaign Promises

Economy
  • End corporate tax giveaways and require big business to pay fair share
  • Reduce automation and boost job creation
Housing
  • Make housing affordable through rent caps and developer accountability
Education
  • Invest $2.5 billion additional in education over 10 years
Other
  • Defend democracy and voting integrity
Economy
  • Lower costs and make life more affordable for working families
Education
  • Expand school choice while protecting public education
Other
  • Continue fighting corporate landlords and opioid profiteers
  • Put Nevadans first with bipartisan problem-solving
Education
  • Expand school choice and make school safety a priority
  • Increase K-12 education funding to $2 billion per biennium
Defense
  • Fix broken state agencies and create safer streets
Economy
  • Get Nevada's economy back on track
  • Never raise taxes
Housing
  • Make housing more affordable

Key Issue Positions

Corporate Accountability and Tax Reform
End corporate welfare, require corporations to pay fair share, eliminate tax giveaways
Directly criticizes Tesla Gigafactory deal as 'swindling Nevada'; proposes tax overhaul including EV taxes to replace lost gas tax revenue
Housing Affordability
Temporary rent caps, infrastructure investment, corporate accountability
Proposes temporary rent caps and removing 'excessive red tape' for childcare providers; critical of current housing crisis
Education
Increased funding, universal pre-K, workforce training
Advocates $2.5B additional annual education spending over 10 years and universal pre-K funding
Labor and Jobs
Opposes right-to-work law; supports livable wages and reduced automation
Calls right-to-work law 'Right to Freeload'; supports livable wages but without specific dollar target
Democratic Election Defense
Protect voting rights, certification integrity, federal enforcement deference
Gained national attention defending primary recount certification against Republican obstruction; opposes National Guard immigration enforcement
Cost of Living and Housing
Aggressive reform including targeting predatory corporations and landlords
Proposes taking on corporate investment in residential housing and making housing more affordable
Gun Safety
Support for background checks, red flag laws, and multi-state coalitions
Enforced universal background checks, defended ghost gun regulations, promoted ERPO training statewide
Education
Support for public education funding and school choice (not vouchers)
As former math teacher, emphasizes public school investment but supports open enrollment and alternatives
Opioid Crisis
Strong enforcement and accountability of manufacturers and distributors
Secured $1.1B in aggregate opioid settlements including major settlements with AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, McKesson, Johnson & Johnson, and Walgreens
Worker Rights
Support for labor protections and collective bargaining
Campaign promises to expand economic opportunity and create good-paying jobs
Education Reform
Support school choice, education accountability, and Trump administration policies
Advocates for school vouchers, parental control, and criticism of Common Core. Praised Trump's education executive order in March 2025.
Public Safety
Strong law-and-order advocate opposing defund-the-police movement
Strengthened criminal penalties, modernized DUI laws, supported law enforcement resources.
Economic Development
Business-friendly free-market advocate (in rhetoric) but subsidizes major corporations
Approved $380M Oakland Athletics stadium, $330M Tesla Gigafactory deals despite free-market claims.
Abortion
Pro-life personally but opposes state bans; protects abortion access
Signed legislation protecting out-of-state abortion seekers and in-state providers in 2023.
Gun Rights
Supports universal background checks but opposes most other gun control
Backed Question 1 (universal background checks) and vetoed multiple gun control bills including age restrictions and polling place bans.

Top Donors

Grassroots Donors
Limited fundingSmall Donor
Hill's campaign relies more on grassroots support than establishment Democratic funding
Citizens for Justice PAC
Primary funding sourceSuper PAC
Trial lawyers' political action committee; major funder of Nevada Democratic politics
Nevada Justice Association
Indirect major fundingIndustry PAC
Trial lawyers' association that funds Citizens for Justice PAC
Robert Bigelow
$25M+Individual
Hotel magnate and UFO believer; largest donor to Lombardo campaign
Better Nevada PAC
Significant supportSuper PAC
Lombardo-aligned PAC supporting his reelection and attacking Democratic opponents

Contradictions

Claim: I oppose corporate tax giveaways and corporate welfare
Contradiction: Hill's campaign lacks detailed voting record opposing corporate subsidies at county level during her tenure; Washoe County benefits from Tesla Gigafactory presence she criticized at state level
Claim: I am a champion of working-class Nevadans fighting corporate interests
Contradiction: Ford's campaign is heavily funded by trial lawyers through Citizens for Justice PAC ($4.7M+ to Democratic causes), and Ford has received $165M+ in state contract fees to his former law firm colleagues
Claim: I support working people and their right to organize
Contradiction: As Senate Majority Leader, Ford killed SB 485, union-backed taxi protections, calling it 'bad policy,' effectively prioritizing Uber's interests over union workers
Claim: I am a free-market conservative who opposes government overreach
Contradiction: Approved $710M+ in corporate subsidies for Oakland Athletics ($380M) and Tesla ($330M), contradicting free-market principles
Claim: I will lower Nevada's unemployment and create jobs
Contradiction: Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the nation (5.7%) and fourth-lowest job growth rate

What Opponents Say

Aaron Ford

Hill lacks experienced leadership and clear solutions

Implicit in Ford's campaign focus on his AG record versus Hill's limited statewide experience

Joe Lombardo's campaign

Hill and Ford have California-style policies that will increase government, taxes, and cost of living

Lombardo campaign comparison of both Democratic candidates

Alexis Hill

Ford lacks clear solutions on housing, state finances, and education despite calling himself a leader

Hill criticized Ford for not having issues clearly articulated on his campaign website

Governor Joe Lombardo's campaign

Ford is 'soft on crime' and a 'corrupt politician'

Lombardo campaign messaging focusing on Ford's AG record

Aaron Ford

Under Lombardo, Nevada is suffering from record-high costs, sky-high unemployment, and an economy lagging behind the rest of the nation

Ford's campaign statement accusing Lombardo of prioritizing Trump's agenda over working families

Steve Sisolak

Lombardo's affordable housing plans place too much focus on federal land release and not enough on detail that requires developer, county commission, and city council involvement

Former governor criticism of Lombardo's housing approach as inadequate

Shelbie Swartz (Battle Born Progress)

Lombardo has no intention of lowering rents or increasing affordable housing availability, which became apparent when he enlisted a Republican lawmaker to kill a measure that would have capped corporate investment in residential housing

Progressive organization criticism of Lombardo's actual record versus stated housing goals

Endorsements

Progressive and grassroots Democratsindividual
Nevada State Democratic Partyorganization
U.S. Representatives Dina Titus and Steven Horsfordindividual
Over half of Nevada Legislature Democratsindividual
Donald Trumpindividual
Laborers Union Local 872organization