Aaron Ford Wins Nevada Governorship, Becomes First Black Leader West of Mississippi

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford unseated Republican Governor Joe Lombardo on Tuesday, according to an Associated Press call. The result makes Ford the first Black governor of a state west of the Mississippi River.

Ford first entered state politics in 2012. Before that, he practiced law and taught mathematics. He later served as Nevada's first Black Senate majority leader and attorney general.

During his tenure as attorney general, Ford joined lawsuits against the Trump administration. Those legal actions sought to uphold birthright citizenship, stop federal election interference, and restore education funding.

The race focused heavily on the state's economic conditions. Ford blamed Lombardo and the Trump administration for high gas prices, which exceeded five dollars per gallon. He also pointed to a decline in tourism caused by tariffs and immigration crackdowns. Nevada faces the potential loss of an estimated 1.2 billion dollars in federal funding due to changes in Medicaid, food assistance, and Affordable Care Act health insurance.

Lombardo, who was elected in 2022, had previously served as a sheriff. He received the endorsement of President Trump. During his first term, Lombardo increased pay for teachers and state employees. He also set aside 133 million dollars for middle-income housing development.

Both candidates supported tax breaks for data centers, though they disagreed on who would impose stricter oversight. Ford pledged to revive bills that Lombardo vetoed. These measures include limiting the number of homes large corporations can buy and giving the state power to adopt Medicaid negotiated prescription drug prices.