Ford wins Nevada governor race

Aaron Ford has won the Nevada governor's race. The Democrat unseated Republican incumbent Joe Lombardo in what observers described as one of the most competitive state races in the nation.

Ford will be the first Black governor of a state west of the Mississippi River. He previously served as Nevada's first Black Senate majority leader and attorney general. His political career began when he was elected to the state legislature in 2012. Before entering politics, he practiced law privately and taught math.

During his time as attorney general, Ford joined lawsuits against the Trump administration. Those legal efforts aimed to uphold birthright citizenship, stop federal election interference, and restore education funding.

Lombardo was elected in 2022 and served as a sheriff before becoming governor. President Trump endorsed Lombardo for the race. Lombardo campaigned on his first-term record, which includes raising pay for teachers and state employees. He also highlighted the $133 million set aside to develop housing for middle-income residents.

Ford focused his campaign on the state's economic struggles. He blamed Lombardo and the Trump administration for high gas prices, which exceeded $5 per gallon in parts of the state. He also pointed to declining tourism, a major revenue source, caused by tariffs and immigration crackdowns.

The race also centered on potential federal funding losses. Nevada risks losing an estimated $1.2 billion in federal money due to changes in Medicaid, food assistance, and Affordable Care Act health insurance.

Ford pledged to revive bills that Lombardo vetoed. Those measures would limit the number of homes large corporations can buy and give the state power to adopt negotiated prescription drug prices for Medicaid. Both candidates supported tax breaks for data centers, though they disagreed on how to regulate the industry going forward.