(The Center Square) - Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford are competing neck to neck as the nation tunes in to the Nevada gubernatorial race.
Elsewhere in the state’s executive branch, candidates to succeed Ford as attorney general debate what makes for the right experience. And an electoral rematch plays out in the secretary of state's race.
An Emerson College Polling/KLAS-TV survey from Sept. 5-8 gave Ford the slight advantage over Lombardo at 44% to 42%, with 11% of the 680 likely voters still undecided. That's essentially a statistical tie, when the percentage of error is considered. In a later Sept. 22-26 poll by Noble Predictive Insights, 800 registered voters gave Lombardo a narrow lead over Ford by 42% to 40%, again a statistical tie. Users on Kalshi’s predictive market have Ford (51%) and Lombardo (49%), nearly tied at the time of writing.
Candidates have debated everything from data centers to education, voter ID, abortion, affordable housing, the tourism industry and Nevada's relationship with the federal government.
But no topic in the gubernatorial race has received as much attention as the economy.
According to the Emerson College poll, 43% of likely Nevada voters said the economy was their top issue, followed by housing affordability at 15% and healthcare at 10%.
“As governor, you’ll see me stop greedy corporate investors from buying up our homes and pricing Nevadans out of their neighborhoods,” Ford said at a press conference. “You’ll see me sign a bill to cap prescription drug prices to their Medicare negotiated price. You’ll see me sign bills to stop families from going bankrupt from medical bills, and you’ll see me sign bills to halt NV Energy’s demand charge, which Joe Lombardo supports.”
The Attorney General’s office under Ford has regularly sued the federal government and Trump administration. Along with most other state attorneys general, Ford gained a settlement from pharmaceutical companies over inflated prices from 2009-2019. Ford unsuccessfully sued NV Energy, the state’s primary energy utility company, over its demand charge change earlier this year.
Lombardo has highlighted the need to cut down on crime and reduce regulations to make for a friendly business environment. His campaign website said he would oppose tax increases for Nevadans and reduce taxes on businesses.
In a May conference with the Las Vegas Chamber, he said he would continue to invest in the sports economy.
“We’re known as the entertainment capital. Now let’s progress towards the sports capital,” Lombardo said. “Why is that important? I’m sure that’s part of the question, and it’s because diversifying the economy is important. You’ve heard me talk about that from day one.”
In 2023, Gov. Lombardo signed into law a $380 million taxpayer investment for the Athletics’ $1.5 billion stadium move to Las Vegas. Construction is proceeding on the stadium, located on the Strip at what used to be the Tropicana casino. The team was formerly the Oakland A's.
Other teams in Las Vegas include the Raiders football team.
Along with candidates in countless other races across the country, Lombardo and Ford have traded barbs over fuel costs and data centers in recent months.
On Thursday, Ford’s campaign highlighted a report on his X social media account about the Iran conflict's impact on high gas prices in Nevada.
“Your housing, health care, grocery, and gas bills are skyrocketing because Joe Lombardo and Donald Trump are working together to raise your costs,” wrote Ford. “When I’m governor, my top priority will be making things cost less, so every hardworking Nevadan can achieve the American dream.”
The Iran War has cost the average American household $864.85 since it began in February, according to the Institution on Taxation and Economic policy. Ford's campaign website said he would focus on lowering energy costs by increasing renewable energy use such as solar, pushing back on rate increases by utility companies and on federal policies that he said hurt Nevada's energy industry.
Lombardo has also expressed concern over high fuel prices, but has focused more on what he has called an overreliance by Nevada on California oil.
“There is no readily available alternative supply network that can replace California’s production at scale,” read a letter from March that Lombardo sent to California Gov. Gavin Newsom asking for the state to decrease its gas regulations. “As a result, policy decisions that materially affect refinery operations in your state directly and immediately impact fuel availability, pricing, and economic stability in Nevada.”
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