Aaron Ford defeats Gov. Joe Lombardo, becoming Nevada's first Black elected governor as Democrats take full state control

What happened

State and national media outlets called Nevada's race for governor for Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat, early Wednesday, The Nevada Independent reported. Ford defeated Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo in what the outlet described as a comfortable victory during a strong national year for Democrats.

In a concession statement posted Wednesday morning, Lombardo said he had called Ford to congratulate him. "Nevada's greatest days are still ahead," Lombardo wrote, according to the Independent. Earlier coverage of the projected outcome of the governor's race tracked the results as they came in.

A historic result

First Black governor in the West

Ford will be the first Black governor elected in Nevada and the first elected in any state west of the Mississippi River, the Independent reported. The outlet noted that Nevada's 20th-century history of discrimination and segregation once earned it a reputation as the "Mississippi of the West."

Speaking Tuesday night, Ford described the state's diversity as an asset. "Nevada's diversity? It's not a challenge to overcome. It's one of the greatest strengths that we have," he said, according to the Independent.

Treasurer race also makes history

Tya Mathis-Coleman, the Democratic nominee for treasurer, became Nevada's first Black treasurer and the first Black woman elected to statewide office, according to the Independent. "I stand before you tonight as the product of Nevada's promise," she told supporters.

How election night unfolded

Morning prayer in the Historic Westside

Ford began Election Day at Victory Missionary Baptist Church in Las Vegas' Historic Westside, his home church and the place where he announced his campaign in July 2025. He prayed there with his family, church leaders and roughly two dozen supporters, the Independent reported.

Two very different parties

At a Democratic watch party in Downtown Las Vegas, attendees were celebrating hours before results arrived, cheering as Democratic wins from around the country appeared on a large screen. Sen. Jacky Rosen joined in the singing at one point, the outlet reported.

Lombardo's party at the Durango Casino and Resort was more subdued. He spoke to supporters around 9 p.m., saying early returns would likely look bad for Republicans but that he remained confident he would win. The room emptied significantly after his remarks, and about an hour and a half later, former Nevada Gaming Commission chair Dr. Tony Alamo announced the governor would not speak again.

What drove the outcome

Lombardo significantly outperformed other statewide Republicans in raw vote count, the Independent reported, but it was not enough to withstand a national wave. Republicans had a $32.6 million ad-spending advantage overall, and for every $1 Democrats spent on the governor's race, the GOP spent nearly $2.50.

The outlet said anti-GOP sentiment, tied to voter frustration with President Trump's administration, was a large part of Ford's win. A New York Times analysis cited by the Independent found Black voters in Nevada shifted left by 5 percentage points compared with the 2024 general election, while Democrats increased their margins with Latino voters by 25 points.

What Democratic control means

Democrats flipped several Assembly seats and comfortably control both houses of the Legislature, and the party will hold all six statewide offices for the first time since 1962, according to the Independent. Nevada was one of six states where Democrats won full control of state government Tuesday.

Ford campaigned on getting rid of Nevada's "right-to-work" law, which prohibits unions and employers from requiring union membership for employment. He has also said the state needs to increase education funding by roughly $2 billion to bring per-pupil spending up to the national average, but that he is not open to new taxes.

Not every voter welcomed the shift. Republican James Peters, 38, told the Independent he backed Lombardo to keep a balance of power, saying, "I don't want us to turn into California." Sen. Fabian Doñate, a Las Vegas Democrat, said the results showed voters wanted "some sort of change."

What to watch next

• The transition in leadership from Lombardo to Ford, which Lombardo referenced in his concession statement.
• Ford's campaign pledge to get rid of Nevada's right-to-work law, with Democrats now controlling both houses of the Legislature.
• Ford's stated goal of raising education funding by roughly $2 billion to reach the national per-pupil average without new taxes.