Ford leads Nevada governor race, defeats Lombardo with 52% amid ongoing vote count

“Tonight’s victory belongs to the housekeepers, nurses, teachers, rideshare drivers, electricians, and all working Nevadans who will no longer have to settle for working harder than ever yet struggling more and more to afford to live,” Aaron Ford’s campaign said in a statement released at 2:19 a.m. The Democrat and two-term attorney general has defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo in Nevada’s race for governor, The Record Courier reported, and will become the state’s first Black governor.

Ford held a 52% to 44% lead over Lombardo with ballots still being counted across the state, a margin of roughly 74,000 votes. The Associated Press called the race for Ford around 1:46 a.m., according to the Las Vegas Sun, though thousands of mail ballots remained to be tallied in the coming days. Nevada law allows ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if received by 5 p.m. Saturday, and those ballots typically favor Democrats.

Nevada voters deliver blue wave, elect Aaron Ford governor and sweep statewide races

Ford Urges Patience While Lombardo Held Hope

Even as networks projected his win, Ford told supporters late Tuesday that he would not claim victory prematurely. “The polls have closed but there is still work to be done,” he said, the Las Vegas Sun reported. “Be patient, I need you to stay calm, I need you to keep the faith.” He added, “I will not claim a victory that has not been earned, and I won’t ask anyone to concede before the voters have finished speaking.”

Lombardo, meanwhile, attempted to remain optimistic at an election night party at Durango Resort, casting Nevada as a potential exception to the national blue wave that swept Democrats into control of the U.S. House and Senate. “We are going to be the unique state in this national picture because we’re going to be successful here in a couple hours,” he told supporters. He warned that the first batch of results would likely favor Democrats and said, “I don’t want anybody to lose any enthusiasm when the first dump comes.” He also pointed to uncertainty about how nonpartisan voters would break, saying, “I anticipate success, and I want everybody to remain upbeat.”

Ford rides affordability message to historic win over Lombardo in Nevada governor's race

A Statewide Sweep for Democrats

The governor’s race was the headline of a broader Democratic wave across Nevada’s statewide offices. Nicole Cannizzaro, a Democrat, is set to replace Ford as attorney general after leading Republican Adriana Guzman Fralick 56% to 41% by about 145,000 votes, The Record Courier reported. In the lieutenant governor’s race, Democrat Sandra Jauregui led Republican incumbent Stavros Anthony 54% to 41%, a margin of roughly 130,000 votes. Incumbent Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar cruised to re-election, defeating Jim Marchant 57% to 39% by more than 170,000 votes. Democrat Tya Mathis-Coleman took the treasurer’s race with 55% against Republican Drew Johnson’s 43%, leading by more than 120,000 votes, and Democrat Michael MacDougall will become controller with 54.5% to incumbent Andy Matthews’ 43%, a margin of 108,000 votes.

What a Ford Win Unlocks

A Ford victory gives Democrats control of the Nevada Senate, the Assembly and the governor’s office for the first time in the current cycle, the Las Vegas Sun reported. That trifecta allows them to revisit some of the record 87 bills Lombardo vetoed in 2025. Throughout his campaign, Ford pledged to sign a number of those bills, including measures on safe hospital staffing, school lunches and extended sick leave, arguing they would provide relief for Nevada families struggling with rising costs. Democrats framed the election as a referendum on President Donald Trump, who carried Nevada by about 3 points in 2024 and endorsed Lombardo; Trump’s tariff policies have hampered tourism and raised prices on goods, and the U.S. war with Iran has pushed gas prices well over $5 a gallon in the state.

Folder sun dem watch party selects wv — Photo: lasvegassun.com

The high turnout reflected that economic frustration. Long lines formed at polling sites, with the last votes not cast until nearly midnight. “We have lines,” U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., said. “Lines that we have not seen in years; people waited in line two hours, three hours in order to have their voices counted. That is what community looks like.”

As Ford’s supporters celebrated into the night, April Harris, who made phone calls for his campaign, captured the mood: “so excited. It is so wonderful; all our work was not in vain.”