Tuesday, June 9, 2026 | 10:46 p.m.
Attorney General Aaron Ford had a elemental connection Tuesday night.
Minutes aft clinching the Democratic gubernatorial primary, Ford acceptable his sights connected a long-anticipated showdown with Gov. Joe Lombardo — a matchup experts task arsenic a coin flip. Lombardo is considered 1 of the astir susceptible governors successful the state this autumn arsenic some parties expect Democrats to bash good nationwide.
Ford’s lawsuit against him is straightforward: Nevada families are struggling with rising costs and helium wants the accidental to bash thing astir it.
“Nevada families are hurting. I don’t attraction what enactment you beryllium to, I’m not going to backmost down,” Ford said successful an code astatine Culinary Workers Union Local 226 office disconnected Spring Mountain Road. “The prime couldn’t beryllium clearer. Do you privation a politician who’s going to basal with billionaires, oregon bash you privation 1 who’s going to combat for the moving class? Do you privation an system that lone works for the affluent and the well-connected, oregon 1 that works for everybody?”
Lombardo admits “there is much enactment to do.”
“Too galore families are feeling the unit of rising costs, excessively galore students request greater opportunities to succeed, and excessively galore communities are waiting for the adjacent section of maturation and investment,” helium said successful a connection aft winning the Republican primary.
Lombardo is seeking a 2nd word successful a authorities won by President Donald Trump successful 2024 and carries Trump’s endorsement, portion Ford has tied Nevada’s astir 10% tourism diminution to Trump’s policies.
Lombardo hasn’t done capable to combat backmost against Trump’s interaction connected the state, Ford’s run has repeatedly argued. Meanwhile, Ford — successful his relation arsenic Nevada’s apical instrumentality enforcement serviceman — has joined galore lawsuits challenging Trump’s orders.
“Tonight, my chap Nevadans, contiguous is the opening of the extremity of this failed Lombardo-Trump economy,” Ford said to a packed room. “No much failed enactment successful Carson City that lets jobs vanish portion prices are soaring … nary much to a politician who bends the genu to a president helium seeks to delight alternatively of the radical he’s sworn to protect. Tonight, we accidental large and wide that Carson City belongs to the people.”
Ford has campaigned connected a grounds built implicit years successful nationalist beingness — archetypal arsenic authorities Senate bulk leader, past arsenic the state’s archetypal Black lawyer general, present successful his 2nd term. Along the way, he’s taken connected corporations similar Meta and challenged enforcement orders signed by Trump.
He pointed Tuesday to a drawstring of ineligible victories connected behalf of Nevadans: $1.2 cardinal successful opioid settlements and a $1.7 cardinal colony with Navient successful 2022, aft the pupil indebtedness elephantine faced allegations of wide deceptive servicing practices.
Ford besides took purpose astatine what he’s calling the “Lombardo-Trump economy” — sluggish tourism numbers and stubbornly precocious prices for gas, groceries and more.
Looking ahead, Ford is centering his gubernatorial run connected affordable housing, healthcare, vigor costs and education.
He’s promised to restrict out-of-state firms from buying homes to resell, streamline determination permitting for caller construction, motorboat a aesculapian indebtedness alleviation programme and boost concern successful cleanable energy.
Zoë Kleinfeld, Ford’s run manager, highlighted his grounds arsenic lawyer wide and his enactment to little costs for moving families. Ford is seeking to go the state’s archetypal Black governor.
“This November is simply a prime betwixt a doormat of a politician who has spent 4 years telling Nevadans to judge less, and a champion who has spent his vocation warring for much connected behalf of Nevadans — little costs, existent accountability, and a authorities wherever moving families aren’t an afterthought,” she said. “We’re going to triumph this wide predetermination by gathering a multiracial working-class conjugation agreed astir the committedness of a amended aboriginal for Nevada’s moving families.”
At Tuesday’s rally, Ford recalled the struggles helium faced increasing up, stressing that helium understands however his constituents consciousness amid the affordability crisis.
“Attorney General Aaron Ford has spent his beingness connected the different broadside of that equation,” his run wrote successful a statement. “He grew up stressed astir the outgo of basal necessities, and dealing with a strategy rigged against moving radical trying to get ahead.”
Ford won the contention besides contested by Alexis Hill, seat of the Washoe County Commission, who placed second. Hill called Ford to concede the race, her run said. Ford had won 65% of the vote.
“I americium excited for Aaron Ford to determination guardant successful the Nevada governor’s contention and bushed Joe Lombardo successful November,” Hill said successful a statement. “Democrats person to triumph this and crook Nevada backmost to a afloat bluish state. Ford and I volition proceed to speech astir however we tin collaborate connected argumentation to marque investments successful Nevadans and modernize our authorities gross laws successful bid to afloat money a wide enactment strategy for our astir susceptible neighbors.”
Not everyone is convinced Ford is the close antheral for the job.
John Burke, a spokesperson for Better Nevada PAC, which is backing Lombardo, said Ford has “never shown up for Nevadans, and helium wouldn’t beryllium immoderate antithetic if helium wins this election.”
Lombardo, who told The Associated Press he’d usage a 2nd word to absorption connected lodging affordability, struck a unifying code successful his triumph statement.
“I americium honored by the assurance Nevadans person placed successful me, and I volition proceed moving each time connected behalf of each Nevadan — whether they voted for maine oregon not,” helium said. “Together, we volition physique connected our progress, decorativeness the job, and marque Nevada the champion spot successful America to live, work, and rise a family.”
English (US)·