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By Andrew Stanton
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Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, a Republican, is in for a tight race next year, according to a new poll released on Friday.
Tai Sims, a spokesperson for Attorney General Aaron Ford's campaign, told Newsweek that voters believe the state is "suffering from record high costs, sky-high unemployment, and an economy lagging behind the rest of the nation in job growth>
Newsweek also reached out to Lombardo's campaign for comment via email.
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Why It Matters
Nevada is a key swing state that has shifted between Democrats and Republicans over the past decade. At the presidential level, President Donald Trump lost the state in 2016 and 2020 but became the first Republican to win it in two decades in the 2024 election. The gubernatorial race remains a top target for Democrats, who are hoping the president’s declining approval rating could be a drag on Republicans in the midterms.
What To Know
Lombardo flipped the governorship in the 2022 midterms, unseating then-Governor Steve Sisolak in what became a warning sign for Democrats about the state's trajectory two years later. It was a close race, with Lombardo winning by less than two percentage points. The 2026 race is viewed as competitive.
Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford is viewed as the likely candidate, having received support from the state’s most prominent Democrats. The new poll from Emerson College showed the two locked in a tight race.
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Both Lombardo and Ford received 41 percent support in the survey, with 18 percent of respondents saying they’re still unsure of how they would vote.
It surveyed 800 registered voters from November 16-18 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
A Noble Predictive Insights poll last month gave Lombardo a three-point lead over Ford (40 percent to 37 percent). Twenty-three percent of respondents were still undecided. It surveyed 766 registered voters between October 7-13 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.54 percentage points, reported Las Vegas news station KTNV.
The poll comes after Lombardo secured the endorsement of the Clark County Education Association, the largest teachers union in the state.
Trump carried Nevada by more than three percentage points in the 2024 presidential race.
What People Are Saying
Tai Sims, a spokesperson for Attorney General Aaron Ford's campaign, told Newsweek: “Voters know that under Joe Lombardo Nevada is suffering from record high costs, sky-high unemployment, and an economy lagging behind the rest of the nation in job growth — and instead of prioritizing working families, Lombardo has been cheerleader-in-chief for Trump’s price-raising agenda. In contrast, Attorney General Aaron 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 and will continue to be laser-focused on making life easier and more affordable as Nevada’s next Governor."
Jaron Zhou, head of politics at Kalshi, responded to the poll on X: "Lombardo approval is a lot lower than I thought—in my head he was still a pretty popular governor. Is that not true anymore?"
Matthew Klein, a Cook Political Report analyst, wrote on X: "Ousting an incumbent governor is very hard. But if there’s any state where cost of living challenges/tourism decline could become a headache for Republicans, it’s Nevada."
Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, wrote in a polling memo: "Lombardo holds an eight-point lead among independents, though 40% remain undecided. Ford’s strengths are among Hispanic voters, who back him by 16 points, and women, who break for the attorney general by five points."
What Happens Next
The Cook Political Report classifies the Nevada gubernatorial race as a toss-up, but Sabato’s Crystal Ball classifies it as "Lean Republican."
Update 11/21/25, 1:08 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Ford's campaign.
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