Gov. Joe Lombardo (R-NV) on Monday launched his campaign for reelection, warning that Nevada cannot afford to let Democrats control the governor’s office.
“I’m here to ask for your help, to help finish what we started and by helping change the makeup of the legislature so we can pass more common-sense reforms and continue blocking the pile of terrible ideas that strike directly at the core of our state,” he said Monday.
The closely watched 2026 gubernatorial race is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country, with Attorney General Aaron Ford shaping up to be Lombardo’s leading challenger. Republicans are betting on Lombardo, who has a history of shattering expectations. The former Clark County sheriff sent shockwaves through the state in 2022 when he flipped the seat red. The outcome broke Democrats’ trifecta of power in Nevada, as Lombardo became the only challenger that year to defeat an incumbent governor when he edged out then-Gov. Steve Sisolak by roughly 15,000 votes.
This week, Lombardo highlighted the record-breaking number of vetoes he has signed, blocking bills from the state legislature, which remains controlled by Democrats. Lombardo argued that keeping a Republican in the governor’s mansion is critical to blocking Democratic legislators from getting bills signed into law by a Democratic governor.
The stakes in the upcoming election “couldn’t be higher or the risks any larger. If Democrats take back power in Carson City, you know what will happen?” Lombardo asked the crowd during a news conference announcing his reelection campaign. “Higher taxes. Fewer jobs. Boys in girls sports.”
Latin Chamber of Commerce CEO Peter Guzman, who leads the most powerful Hispanic chamber in Nevada, echoed the argument during the event, which was attended by over 100 Laborers’ Union 872 members in orange hats and t-shirts.
“Make no mistake about how important this is, guys. Those [87] vetoes he used — I was there. I lived it in Carson City,” Guzman said. “Some of those bills were going to crush small business, crush the [LiUNA construction workers] behind us, and crush all of us.”
Democrats have come out swinging at Lombardo, seeking to reclaim the governor’s seat from Republican control.
“Joe Lombardo has failed to lower costs and make life more affordable for hardworking Nevada families,” a statement from Ford, the Nevada attorney general viewed as Lombardo’s likely leading challenger, said.
“On his watch, housing costs are at record highs, Nevada has had one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation for more than a year, we’ve lagged behind the rest of the nation in job growth, and our schools remain underfunded and overcrowded,” the statement continued. Donald Trump’s price-raising policies are stifling tourism, curtailing consumer spending, and ripping Medicaid and SNAP benefits away from tens of thousands of Nevadans to pay for billionaire tax breaks; yet Lombardo continues to sell out to Trump time and again at the direct expense of Nevadans.”
The rival Democratic Governors Association added its condemnation to Lombardo’s candidacy. The DGA labeled Lombardo “the most vulnerable Republican governor in America,” arguing Lombardo “twists himself into knots trying to defend his disastrous agenda that has left Nevada’s working families and small businesses behind.”
So far, Lombardo faces no serious opponent in the GOP primary. In the general election, he could face Ford or Sisolak, who continues to weigh a comeback bid. Washoe County Commission Chair Alexis Hill has also announced a candidacy to run for governor as a Democrat.
Ahead of the 2026 election, Lombardo has a 53% approval rating, 21 points above the 32% of Nevadans who disapprove, according to Morning Consult.
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“You sent me [to Carson City] to deliver results, restore balance to our political system, find consensus and solve real problems for everyday Nevadans,” Lombardo said Monday during remarks at his alma mater, Rancho High School, where he launched his first campaign for governor four years ago.
“That’s what you hired us to do and that’s exactly what we’ve done,” he added.