Nevada is set to have one of nation’s premier races for governor as Democrats seek to reclaim seat
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, will face Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford in a battle to hold onto his seat in November, setting up what is considered one of the most competitive governor's races in the country.
Both won their party's nominations Tuesday as Nevada held primaries for several key offices, including a swing congressional seat in the Las Vegas area where the GOP nominated Marty O'Donnell, a composer known for writing the soundtrack to the video game “Halo,” to face Democratic Rep. Susie Lee in November.
The voting came as Nevada grapples with an affordable housing shortage, exploding energy demand from data centers and federal cuts to key state programs.
The state has a closed primary, meaning only registered Democrats and Republicans voted in party contests after an effort to open them failed in 2024.
Several primaries featured matchups between candidates backed by party leaders and political outsiders promising change. Come November, the governor's race is considered one of the most competitive in the country, and holding on to the 3rd Congressional District is considered crucial for Democrats' hope of retaking the U.S. House.
Here is a look at the most prominent races:
Lomardo is considered one of the most vulnerable governors in the country this fall as both parties expect Democrats to do well nationwide.
Ford, who had the backing of the Democratic congressional delegation and former Vice President Kamala Harris, beat Alexis Hill, a county commissioner in northern Nevada, in his party's primary.
Ford and Hill focused their campaigns on affordability, as the state continues to see a shortage of affordable housing, some of the highest gas prices in the country and cuts to federal healthcare and food assistance programs.
Ford argued that both the governor and President Donald Trump are responsible for Nevadans' economic woes. At his victory party, he promised to lower costs for families.
“This is all about strengthening the working class,” he said. “And we will once again be a state where you can afford to live your own version of the American dream.”
Lombardo did not comment after the race was called, and his campaign referred inquiries to a political action committee supporting him. John Burke, a spokesman for the Better Nevada PAC, said Ford has “never shown up for Nevadans, and he wouldn’t be any different if he wins this election.”
At a polling location earlier in the day, Lombardo vowed to focus on housing affordability during a second term.
“We’re running again because we still got a lot of work to do in that space,” he said as he thanked campaign volunteers outside a polling place in Las Vegas, where they huddled under a canopy in the 94 F (34 C) heat.
Joshua Garcia of Las Vegas backed Lombardo, saying, “He just seems like a really good guy. He gets things done, he cares about the local community and that’s what’s important.”
Blake Howard, a Las Vegas Democrat, supported Ford, hoping his experience will help him lower prices. Of Lombardo, Howard said: “Everything just seems pretty much the same if not even worse with what he’s done.”
In the Republican contest to replace longtime Rep. Mark Amodei, who is retiring, Trump endorsed David Flippo, a loyalist of the president who has never held elected office. Amodei and Lombardo backed James Settelmeyer, a former state senator with a long political track record. The race was too early to call Tuesday night.
The district covers northern Nevada and includes Reno and Carson City, the capital, along with an immense rural expanse.
Trump-endorsed candidates have seen success in primaries elsewhere, underscoring his unrivaled power over the Republican Party as he enters the last years of his presidency. He easily won the district in the 2024 election.
The GOP nominee has a good chance of winning in November, as registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by 70,000 in the 2nd District. A Republican has held the seat since the district was created in the 1980s.
Still, Democrats hope to entice the large number of nonpartisan voters in the district this fall. They nominated Ford's chief of staff, former majority floor leader Teresa Benitez-Thompson.
Nevada’s other three members of Congress, all Democrats, were expected to win their primaries easily.
In southern Nevada's 3rd District, Republicans battled to determine who will face Lee in what is considered the most competitive congressional district in Nevada because of its narrow Democratic registration advantage, its high number of nonpartisan voters and a history of razor-thin election margins. Both Lee and Trump won there narrowly in 2024.
Candidates included the Trump-backed O'Donnell, who ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2024. He defeated Jeff Gunter, a dermatologist and former ambassador to Iceland; neurosurgeon Aury Nagy; and businessperson Tera Anderson.
The candidates ran on border security, energy independence and decreasing the federal debt. O'Donnell thanked Trump in his statement and turned his attention to the incumbent, saying, “Susie Lee has lost touch with Southern Nevada, and come November, she will lose her job.”
Lee said Nevadans need someone who will stand up to what she called a corrupt administration and not “more rubber stamp Republicans.”
With Ford term-limited and running for governor, the opening has prompted competitive primaries for the state's top law enforcement post.
Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro won the Democratic nomination, defeating Treasurer Zach Conine. Both campaigned on promises to take on the Trump administration, following in the footsteps of Ford, who filed numerous lawsuits against the federal government.
For the Republicans, Trump-backed attorney Adriana Guzmán Fralick won the nomination over Douglas County commissioner Danny Tarkanian. Tarkanian, son of legendary University of Nevada, Las Vegas basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, previously ran unsuccessfully in multiple congressional races.
Both candidates campaigned on “election integrity,” casting doubt on voting security. Nevada is one of the swing states where Trump falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen, despite no evidence of widespread fraud.
Several Republicans also ran for secretary of state, the office that oversees elections, including some who falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. The winner of the primary will take on Democratic incumbent Cisco Aguilar, who also won Tuesday.
The GOP candidates included Jim Marchant, a former state lawmaker and perennial candidate who has said the 2020 election “was probably stolen”; Sharron Angle, a former state lawmaker who was part of an effort to block the certification of Nevada's 2020 election results; and Shirley Folkins-Roberts, an attorney who received Lombardo's endorsement and has denied there is widespread voting fraud in Nevada.
All the candidates supported implementing voter ID, which will be on the ballot for the second time in November after the question passed by a wide margin in 2024.
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