‘Not going to back down’: Aaron Ford targets vulnerable Lombardo in Nevada governor’s race

Attorney General Aaron Ford had a simple message Tuesday night. 

Minutes after clinching the Democratic gubernatorial primary, Ford set his sights on a long-anticipated showdown with Gov. Joe Lombardo — a matchup experts project as a coin flip. Lombardo is considered one of the most vulnerable governors in the country this fall as both parties expect Democrats to do well nationwide.

Ford’s case against Lombardo is straightforward: Nevada families are struggling with rising costs he attributes to the policies of President Donald Trump and his Republican backers, and Ford wants the chance to do something about it. 

“Nevada families are hurting. I don’t care what party you belong to, I’m not going to back down,” Ford said in an address at Culinary Workers Union Local 226 headquarters on Spring Mountain Road. “The choice couldn’t be clearer. Do you want a governor who’s going to stand with billionaires, or do you want one who’s going to fight for the working class? Do you want an economy that only works for the wealthy and the well-connected, or one that works for everybody?”

Lombardo said “there is more work to do.” 

“Too many families are 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,” he said in a statement after winning the Republican primary.

Lombardo is seeking a second term in Nevada, which Trump carried in 2024, and he has the president’s endorsement. Ford, meanwhile, is blaming Trump’s policies for a nearly 10% drop in tourism, a key piece of the state's economy. 

Lombardo hasn’t done enough to fight back against Trump’s impact on the state, Ford’s campaign has repeatedly argued.

As Nevada's top law enforcement officer, Ford has joined numerous lawsuits challenging Trump's executive orders on issues ranging from freezes on federal funding to states to restrictions on mail-in voting to ending birthright citizenship.

“Tonight, my fellow Nevadans, tonight is the beginning of the end of this failed Lombardo-Trump economy,” Ford said to a packed room. “No more failed leadership in Carson City that lets jobs disappear while prices are soaring … no more to a governor who bends the knee to a president he seeks to please instead of the people he’s sworn to protect. Tonight, we say loud and clear that Carson City belongs to the people.”

Ford has campaigned on a record built over years in public life — including his tenure as state Senate majority leader, then as the state’s first Black attorney general, now in his second term.

Ford also took aim at sluggish tourism numbers and stubbornly high prices for gas, groceries and other essentials, caused, he said, by policies backed by Trump and Lombardo.

Ford is centering his gubernatorial campaign on affordable housing, healthcare, energy costs and education. 

He's promised to prevent out-of-state firms from buying homes to resell, streamline regional permitting for new construction, launch a medical debt-relief program and boost investment in clean energy.

Zoë Kleinfeld, Ford’s campaign manager, highlighted his record as attorney general and his work to lower costs for working families. Ford is seeking to become the state’s first Black governor. 

“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,” she said. “We’re going to win this general election by building a multiracial working-class coalition united around the promise of a better future for Nevada’s working families.”

At Tuesday’s rally, Ford recalled the struggles he faced growing up, stressing that he understands how his constituents feel amid the affordability crisis. 

“Attorney General Aaron Ford has spent his life on the other side of that equation,” his campaign wrote in a statement. “He grew up stressed about the cost of basic necessities, and dealing with a system rigged against working people trying to get ahead.”

Ford easily prevailed in a field of six Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls with more than 60% of the vote in early returns. Alexis Hill, chair of the Washoe County Commission, placed a distant second with less than a quarter of the vote. Hill called Ford to concede the race, her campaign said.

“I am excited for Aaron Ford to move forward in the Nevada governor’s race and beat Joe Lombardo in November,” Hill said in a statement. “Democrats have to win this and turn Nevada back to a fully blue state. Ford and I will continue to talk about how we can collaborate on policy to make investments in Nevadans and modernize our state revenue laws in order to fully fund a broad support system for our most vulnerable neighbors.”

Not everyone is convinced Ford is the right man for the job. 

John Burke, a spokesman for Better Nevada PAC, which is backing Lombardo, said Ford has “never shown up for Nevadans, and he wouldn’t be any different if he wins this election.”

Lombardo, who told The Associated Press he’d use a second term to focus on housing affordability, struck a unifying tone in his victory statement. 

“I am honored by the confidence Nevadans have placed in me, and I will continue working every day on behalf of every Nevadan — whether they voted for me or not,” he said. “Together, we will build on our progress, finish the job, and make Nevada the best place in America to live, work, and raise a family.”