Sen. Cortez Masto endorses Attorney General Ford for Nevada governor

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, left, D-Nev., tours a Head Start program with center co-director Gwendolyn Coward at the Acelero Spring Valley Learning Center Thursday, May 30, 2024. Photo by: Steve Marcus

U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., is endorsing Attorney General Aaron Ford in the race for Nevada governor, according to a statement from Ford’s campaign shared with the Sun.

The endorsement comes on the heels of Washoe County Commission Chair Alexis Hill, a Democrat, entering the 2026 race on Monday.

Cortez Masto, who previously served two terms as Nevada’s attorney general, said in the statement that Ford has won difficult elections in the past. In 2018, he narrowly won the race for attorney general in a significant pickup for Democrats.

“Aaron Ford has prosecuted gang members … and battled fentanyl being trafficked across our southern border,” Cortez Masto said in a statement. “He’s gone after fraudulent landlords who are jacking up prices on working families and won more than $1 billion in settlements from taking on big drug companies.”

“He has my full support for Nevada governor,” she added.

Ford in a statement said that it’s been an honor to follow in her footsteps as attorney general, highlighting their overlapping work on human trafficking and the drug trade. Ford is term-limited.

In a video accompanying the endorsement featuring the two major Democratic players, Ford called the senator’s work as attorney general “entirely unparalleled.”

“I have watched General Ford fight for our state. He has fought for our families,” Cortez Masto said in the video. “He works to keep our community safe. He ensures our businesses have every opportunity at success, and that is why I’m endorsing him for governor.” 

Since President Donald Trump retook office in January, Ford has joined a litany of multi-state lawsuits against the administration.

Along with Hill, former Gov. Steve Sisolak told the New York Times in April that he was thinking about running. He lost in 2022 to Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo.

Ford has a higher approval rating than Lombardo — being 12 and 10 points above water, respectively — according to April polling from Noble Predictive Insights. However, that’s partly due to around a third of voters having either no opinion of Ford or not knowing who the attorney general is.

“I’m honored and blessed to have your support,” Ford said, turning to the senator in the video. “And I’m looking forward to being your next governor, Nevada.”