Aaron Ford
Democrat
Joe Lombardo
Republican
Aaron Ford
Democrat
Joe Lombardo
Republican
Residency
Aaron Ford
Has lived in Nevada for 26 years.
Joe Lombardo
Has lived in Nevada for 50 years.
Career
Aaron Ford
Current Nevada Attorney General, first elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022; his term ends January 2027. Served in the Nevada State Senate from 2013–2019, including as Senate Majority Leader 2017–2019.
Joe Lombardo
Incumbent Governor of Nevada, first elected in 2022; running for a second term. Served 8 years as Sheriff of Clark County (2015–2023), 26 years with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Served in the Nevada Army National Guard & U.S. Army Reserve, 1980–1986.
Education
Aaron Ford
Earned five academic degrees, including a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University, a master's degree from George Washington University, and three degrees from The Ohio State University encompassing a law degree and a Ph.D.
Joe Lombardo
Holds a BS and MS from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Endorsed By
Aaron Ford
Nevada State AFL-CIO, AFSCME, SEIU Local 1107, UAW, several building trades unions (Bricklayers Local 13, Ironworkers Local 433, IUOE, IUPAT), Nevada State Education Association, Washoe Education Association, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Reproductive Freedom for All, Moms Demand Action, End Citizens United, and Nevada Conservation League.
Joe Lombardo
Vegas Chamber, Nevada Realtors, Associated Builders and Contractors Nevada, Nevada Trucking Association, Armed Forces Chamber, Turning Point Action, NVGOP, Nevada Right to Life, Professional Firefighters of Nevada, Clark County Education Association, and several police/sheriff associations.
Housing — Should Nevada limit corporations buying homes?
Aaron Ford
Supports Said he will "limit corporate investors buying single family homes and crack down on predatory landlords." Wants to crack down on Wall Street/institutional investors buying up single-family homes, push back on tariffs that raise construction costs, and ease permitting to encourage new construction on vacant land.
Joe Lombardo
Abstaining Did not give a direct yes or no answer. Lombardo vetoed a bill to cap corporate ownership in 2023, then reportedly blocked a 2025 effort that would have imposed even stricter limits.
Jobs, the Economy & Cost of Living
Aaron Ford
Campaign says Nevada has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and that Las Vegas tourism has fallen amid Trump-era tariffs. Frames his platform around lowering costs for working families and expanding economic opportunity.
Joe Lombardo
Cites a 4.3% increase in employment since 2022, more than $5 billion in new economic investment, and a 15% cut to the Modified Business Tax rate. Cut or streamlined more than 900 state regulations.
Corporate Tax Breaks and Abatements
Aaron Ford
Concerned Has expressed that the state needs to reevaluate corporate tax abatements and ensure large incoming industries, such as major data centers, pay a fair share for utility and resource impacts.
Joe Lombardo
Supports Views them as vital tools to diversify the state's economy, attract businesses, and lower the Modified Business Tax.
Iran War
Aaron Ford
Opposes Strongly criticizes the conflict and blames it for driving up inflation and spiking gas and grocery prices for families.
Joe Lombardo
Supports Wrote a letter supporting Trump's new budget bill to add another $70 billion towards the Iran War.
SAVE Act / Elections and Voting
Aaron Ford
Opposes He said there's not enough evidence that voter fraud exists in the state to justify imposing a new requirement to exercise the right to vote. He said there would have to be a compelling reason to add identification requirements to the state's voting process.
Joe Lombardo
Supports Says he "wholeheartedly" supports voter ID, but vetoed a 2025 voter ID bill (AB499), saying it applied ID rules unevenly between in-person and mail voters. Also vetoed a bill (AB105) banning firearms at or near polling places, saying existing law already addresses voter intimidation.
Data Centers
Aaron Ford
Opposes He has created a comprehensive accountability plan which includes: no new tax breaks until all data centers are audited by his office, new legislation requiring data centers use and pay for clean energy, job requirements regarding pay and benefits, a ban on water-wasting cooling, and public hearings before any new centers are built.
Joe Lombardo
Abstaining Did not give a direct yes or no answer but said that the state already has strong measures in place to shield ratepayers from bearing the costs associated with data centers.
Data centers are one of Lombardo's largest campaign contributors and under his term the state has given data center companies over $200 million of Nevadans' tax abatements.
Energy & Climate Change
Aaron Ford
Supports Prioritizes clean, affordable energy. Has fought NV Energy's mandatory demand charge as Attorney General and says he would require data centers to pay their fair share for added energy demand and to commit to water conservation, while promoting residential solar and efficiency incentives.
Joe Lombardo
Opposes Says he has "stood up for Nevadans against California's extreme energy policies," per his campaign material.
Healthcare
Aaron Ford
As Attorney General, won more than $1.2 billion in opioid settlements. As governor, would target Pharmacy Benefit Manager practices that he says withhold drug-price savings from consumers, pursue a medical debt relief program, and expand access to the state's public option, Battle Born State Plans.
Joe Lombardo
Created the Nevada Health Authority consolidating existing programs to streamline services. Expanded community behavioral health centers and the statewide 988 crisis system.
ICE Tactics
Aaron Ford
Opposes As Attorney General, issued nonbinding "model immigration policies" guidance encouraging state agencies, schools, and hospitals not to use local resources for civil immigration enforcement.
Joe Lombardo
Supports Says Nevada will "continue to follow federal law" and has disputed his administration's own model immigration guidance.
Public Safety & Criminal Justice
Aaron Ford
As Attorney General, has prioritized prosecuting human trafficking cases. He said during a bill (AB236) hearing that implemented criminal justice reforms that it "better aligns our resource by focusing on incarcerating violent offenders who pose a risk to public safety while helping nonviolent offenders who need treatment."
Joe Lombardo
Delivered double-digit pay raises for state law enforcement. Increased penalties for drug and fentanyl trafficking.
Reproductive Rights
Aaron Ford
Supports He is going to "ensure that Nevada itself remains a firewall, not just in name, but in practice … that means protecting abortion access, safeguarding IVF, keeping politicians out of private medical decisions."
Joe Lombardo
Abstaining Describes himself as personally "pro-life," said he would respect Nevada's existing law permitting abortion up to 24 weeks. In 2022 said he would support a ballot measure letting voters decide on a 13-week abortion ban and other restrictions such as parental notification.
Gun Safety
Aaron Ford
Supports As Attorney General, defended the state's ghost-gun regulation in court (Sisolak v. Polymer80) and promoted Extreme Risk Protection Order ("red flag law") training for law enforcement. Oversaw enforcement of universal background checks and, as Senate Majority Leader, helped pass 2019 gun-safety legislation.
Joe Lombardo
Opposes Says he will veto any legislation restricting the right to keep and bear arms. Worked to end Clark County's firearm registry in 2015. Vetoed multiple gun-safety bills passed by the Legislature, including bans on guns at polling places and raising the purchase age for semiautomatic firearms to 21.
Education Funding
Aaron Ford
Supports Wants to increase public education funding to raise the state's per-pupil spending to the national average — a roughly $2 billion expenditure — but is not open to adding new taxes.
Joe Lombardo
Abstaining He has not indicated whether he supported further increasing public education funding for the next two years and is focusing heavily on expanding charter schools and school choice.
Sources & Methodology
Candidates' official campaign websites (joelombardofornv.com, fordfornevada.com), the Nevada Governor's Office, and nonpartisan news coverage (The Nevada Independent, Associated Press, Ballotpedia). Compiled August 2026; candidate positions may be updated or clarified as the campaign continues. Blank or limited entries reflect that no public position was identified in available sources as of this date.