Poll: Lombardo, Ford deadlocked in Nevada governor's race

The leading candidates in the 2026 Nevada gubernatorial election, Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford and incumbent Republican Governor Joe Lombardo, are both being accused of improper fundraising at the start of the campaign. Photo by: Sun and AP, file

Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford are tied in a hypothetical gubernatorial matchup for 2026, according to new Emerson College polling.

The poll of 800 registered Nevada voters shows the candidates tied at 41%, leaving 18% undecided with less than a year until Election Day. While primary contests lie ahead for both, each is widely expected to secure their party’s nomination

Tai Sims, Ford’s campaign spokesperson, wrote in a statement that voters are suffering from “record high costs, sky-high unemployment, and an economy lagging behind the rest of the nation in job growth” under the current governor.

“Instead of prioritizing working families, Lombardo has been cheerleader-in-chief for Trump’s price-raising agenda,” Sims said. “Ford is a bipartisan problem solver who has a proven track record of creating good-paying jobs and fighting to lower costs for working families.”

Ford, as well as the Nevada State Democratic Party, has been tying Lombardo to President Donald Trump. Despite that, the Emerson poll shows a gap between the approval ratings of Lombardo and the president in Nevada.

While the percentage of people who disapprove of Lombardo is two points higher than those who do approve of him, Trump is dealing with a -15 approval rating in Nevada, according to the poll. That’s despite Trump breaking Nevada’s 20-year streak of voting for a Democratic president last year.

Trump’s approval rating is right between those of Nevada’s two members of the U.S. Senate. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., has a -12 approval rating while Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., is at -18.

Lombardo’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new polling.

Emerson College’s results also peer into what the 2028 presidential race could look like. The most popular candidate for the Democratic primary is Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., who has made a point of taking an abrasive stance against the president.

While Newsom collected 36.9% of the vote, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a Democrat, came in second with 18.9%. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., followed behind with 8.9%.

The Republican field is much more solidified, with nearly two-thirds of interested voters supporting current Vice President JD Vance as the party’s nominee.