Nevada GOP Gov. Lombardo projected to face Democrat Ford in highly competitive race

Politics Nevada GOP Gov. Joe Lombardo projected to face Democrat Aaron Ford in one of this year's most competitive races By Caroline Linton Caroline Linton Associate Managing Editor, Politics Caroline Linton is an associate managing editor on the political team for CBSNews.com. She has previously written for The Daily Beast, Newsweek and amNewYork. Read Full Bio Caroline Linton June 9, 2026 / 11:56 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat, and Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo won their parties' primaries in this year's Nevada gubernatorial race, CBS News projects, setting up the November ballot in one of the races Democrats are targeting. Ford, who is from Clark County, defeated several primary opponents on Tuesday, with his most formidable challenge coming from progressive Alexis Hill. According to University of Nevada-Las Vegas political science professor Rebecca Gill, Ford had entered the race with name recognition and a structural advantage as the highest-ranking Democrat elected statewide. Lombardo also defeated multiple primary opponents on Tuesday. C12 Democrats in the state have already begun zeroing in on Lombardo, and the Democratic Governors' Association has identified Nevada as one of its top targets. The Cook Political Report has rated the Nevada gubernatorial race as a toss up.The November election is expected to be largely a referendum on President Trump, as the state has been hit hard by some of Mr. Trump's signature policies, including immigration and tariffs. Canadians account for half of Las Vegas' foreign tourism, which has dropped by 17% in 2025. Tourism, which accounts for 30% of the region's jobs, in 2025 declined 7.5% overall, the largest visitor drop outside of the pandemic since 1970, when the city started tracking data.  As attorney general, Ford signed onto more than 40 lawsuits in 2025 against the Trump administration, something that will figure prominently in his e...