Aaron Ford wins Nevada governor's race as Democrats take all six statewide offices for the first time since 1962

What happened

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat, won the governor's race Tuesday night, defeating Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, according to The Nevada Independent. The outlet said Ford's win came as part of a Democratic wave in the national midterm elections that it described as a significant rebuke of President Donald Trump.

Across the state's six constitutional offices, Democrats flipped three seats held by Republicans and held the other three, The Nevada Independent reported. The last time one party won all six was the GOP in 2014, and Democrats have not held every constitutional office since 1962.

A historic win for Ford

Several firsts

Ford will be Nevada's first Black governor, according to The Nevada Independent. The outlet also reported that he became the first elected Black governor west of the Mississippi River and is just the second Democrat to hold the governor's office this century. Earlier coverage of the race is in our report on Ford's projected win over Lombardo.

How the campaign was framed

Ford ran on a platform that tied Lombardo to Trump and criticized the governor for a record number of vetoes, which Ford said would have helped Nevadans cope with economic hardship. Lombardo argued he needed four more years to finish his agenda, pointing to his record on health care, education, housing and the economy. The Nevada Independent reported that Ford won despite heavy ad spending by Lombardo and was helped largely by anti-Republican sentiment.

The other statewide races

Secretary of state

Incumbent Democrat Cisco Aguilar defeated former Republican Assemblyman Jim Marchant, the same opponent he beat in 2022. As of Tuesday night, it was the most lopsided statewide result, according to the outlet. Marchant had said he has not trusted election results for decades and had considered sweeping changes, such as ending electronic voting and canceling every voter's registration.

The Nevada Independent reported that Aguilar's win all but ensures no drastic changes to the state's election system over the next four years. Aguilar opposes major changes to mail voting, such as accepting ballots after Election Day, but supports smaller ones, like letting voters feed mail ballots into a ballot-reading machine.

Lieutenant governor

Democrat Sandra Jauregui unseated Republican Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony. Jauregui previously served three years as Assembly majority leader, and her campaign drew support from national figures including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, the outlet reported.

Cannizzaro's win opens a Senate seat

State Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, a Democrat, defeated Republican attorney Adriana Guzmán Fralick, according to the outlet's projections. Cannizzaro campaigned on standing up to the Trump administration, while Democrats targeted Guzmán Fralick over her past support for Trump and earlier comments about data centers. Cannizzaro's move means Clark County officials will appoint her replacement in the Senate.

What voters said

Voters interviewed by The Nevada Independent in northern and southern Nevada voiced frustration with Trump and said they were voting for Democrats down the ballot to send the president a message. One voter, 47-year-old Chris Myers, told the outlet he voted to do his civic duty and to push back against what he called the most corrupt government in the country's history.

Myers also said he was bothered by a video of Lombardo that went viral early in the election cycle, in which the governor appeared to try to get out of a traffic ticket, according to the outlet.

Legislature could reach a supermajority

Some legislative races were still too close to call Tuesday night, but Democrats could reach a two-thirds supermajority in both chambers, The Nevada Independent reported. That would allow them to raise taxes and override a governor's vetoes. More on those contests is in our look at early legislative results and on our elections page.

What to watch next

• Final results in legislative races that were too close to call Tuesday night, which will decide whether Democrats hold a two-thirds supermajority in both chambers.
• Clark County officials' appointment of a replacement for Nicole Cannizzaro in the state Senate.
• Senate Democrats' choice of a new caucus leader for the next legislative session.
• Implementation of voter ID, which Aguilar is pursuing and which the outlet said was expected to be approved through a ballot question this year.