Democratic Clark County DA Steve Wolfson explains why he is backing Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo over Aaron Ford

What happened

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson, a Democrat, has endorsed Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo's re-election bid and explained his reasons in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Wolfson pointed to his long relationship with Lombardo and his complaints about Attorney General Aaron Ford, the Democrat running against Lombardo.

The Review-Journal described the move as unusual in Nevada politics after the era of the "Reid Machine," when Democratic U.S. Sen. Harry Reid kept the party closely unified.

What Wolfson says in his ad

Praise for Lombardo

In a campaign ad, Wolfson says he and Lombardo, who previously served as Clark County sheriff, "worked together to put violent criminals behind bars." He told the Review-Journal he has known Lombardo for 30 years and worked with him often while Lombardo was sheriff.

Criticism of Ford

The same ad turns to Ford. "Aaron Ford calls himself Nevada's top cop. No way," Wolfson says, later adding, "Ford cares more about criminals than victims. Joe Lombardo fights for us." According to the Review-Journal, Ford's campaign would not make him available for an interview.

A dispute over credit on crime

Ford is also presenting himself as a strong choice on public safety. One Ford ad cited by the Review-Journal has a narrator saying that as attorney general, Ford worked with law enforcement to lock up dangerous criminals and helped lower violent crime across the state.

Wolfson called that message misleading. "His office does very little," he told the newspaper. "My office is in the trenches every single day." He also said there were cases in which his office asked the attorney general's office to appeal a federal ruling and Ford's office refused.

The Lobato case

Background reported by the Review-Journal

Wolfson also raised the case of Kirstin "Blaise" Lobato, who was convicted in a 2001 killing. She spent more than 15 years behind bars and was released in 2018 after her conviction was vacated a second time and prosecutors chose not to pursue a third trial. She later won a $34 million federal verdict after reaching a settlement with Ford's office and receiving a certificate of innocence, and jurors in the civil trial found that police detectives fabricated evidence against her.

During that civil trial, the Metropolitan Police Department released a letter signed by Wolfson and current Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill. The letter questioned why Ford's office settled with Lobato shortly before her federal trial and indicated that "key parties involved in her prosecution" still believed she was guilty.

Competing views

Wolfson told the Review-Journal that Ford should have fought the certificate of innocence harder and that he still believes Lobato is guilty. He said he did not handle the trial himself and relies on others to inform him.

Lobato's attorney, David Owens, a law professor at the University of Washington, said Ford's office saw scientific evidence showing she was hours away when Duran Bailey was killed and agreed she was innocent. "Wolfson needs to get over it," Owens said, according to the Review-Journal.

Where the race stands

As of Friday, the last day of early in-person voting, about one-third of Nevada's registered voters had taken part in the midterm election, the Review-Journal reported. Election Day is Tuesday. Earlier coverage looked at whether the final day of early voting could be the busiest.

The Review-Journal has also analyzed how often Ford and Lombardo voted to grant clemency for prisoners, including people convicted of murder or manslaughter. The newspaper reported that the clemency process has become a political issue in the governor's campaign.

What to watch next

• Election Day voting on Tuesday in the governor's race between Lombardo and Ford.
• Final turnout, after about one-third of Nevada's registered voters had participated as of Friday, the last day of early in-person voting.
• How clemency votes by Ford and Lombardo continue to figure in the campaign, which the Review-Journal described as a political issue in the race.