Nevada Democrat Aaron Ford defeats Republican Joe Lombardo to become state’s first Black governor

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada’s Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford has won the race for governor, ousting Republican incumbent Joe Lombardo and becoming the state’s first Black governor.

This was one of the most closely watched elections in the country, and Ford’s win marks a major victory for Democrats’ efforts to expand their control of state governments in key battlegrounds. Nevada will play a critical role in the next presidential election.

Ford has served as the state’s top prosecutor since 2019. Throughout his campaign, he described growing up in poverty and going to school hungry. He explained how he became a math teacher before earning his law degree, and highlighted efforts to fight the Trump administration.

“This campaign didn’t happen by accident,” Ford said at a Democratic watch party Tuesday. “It happened because of faith, because of family, because of hard work, and because the people of Nevada decided that our best days are still ahead of us.”

Ford focused his campaign on affordability, promising to tackle student loan debt and crack down on the development of artificial intelligence data centers. He painted his opponent as a staunch loyalist of the president and criticized Lombardo for vetoing bills that Ford said would have helped Nevadans, from restrictions on corporate homeownership to providing free school meals.

Amid voters’ concerns over the impacts of AI data centers, Ford promised to pause new tax abatements for them and oppose projects on federal land in Nevada.

He defended against attacks by the governor, a former sheriff, that tried to paint Ford as soft on crime while he was attorney general. He also deflected Lombardo’s accusations that his policy goals would be too expensive.

Ford got a boost from national Democrats who are eyeing potential 2028 presidential campaigns, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris, who came to the state to campaign for him. Trump won Nevada in 2024 with 50.6% of the vote.

During this year’s race, the governor portrayed Ford as a threat to the state’s business-friendly climate. Lombardo sought to tie him to Democrat-controlled California, claiming Ford would bring the “Newsom playbook” of high taxes and more regulations.

Democrats worked to connect Lombardo with President Donald Trump’s tariffs, saying they harmed Las Vegas tourism, which saw a 17% drop in Canadian visitors in 2025. The president has feuded with Canadian leaders, and the two countries are in the middle of a trade dispute.

Ford criticized Lombardo for vetoing legislation the Democrat said would make life more affordable, such as a bill to limit home purchases by corporate investors. Nevadans are grappling with some of the highest gas prices in the country and a shortage of tens of thousands of homes.

The westernmost battleground state has a distinctive electorate that doesn’t always follow national political trends.

Democratic strength in Las Vegas is counterbalanced by heavily Republican rural areas, and the true wild cards are the nonpartisan voters who make up nearly 40% of the electorate. The steady flow of people into and out of the state, as well as the large number of working-class and Latino voters, make it difficult to predict statewide races.

Although Nevada only has six electoral college votes, both parties have Nevada as an early state in their nominating calendar.

Both candidates faced scrutiny for how they exercised their authority in law enforcement.

Ford’s campaign criticized Lombardo after he avoided a traffic ticket in Las Vegas, interrupting the police officer to say “I’m Joe Lombardo.” Meanwhile, the governor’s campaign blasted Ford for sponsoring consideration of a clemency application for a man who killed a pregnant woman in 2017.

Lombardo secured a major boost when the Democratic district attorney for Clark County, which covers Las Vegas, endorsed the governor instead of his fellow Democrat.

The governor served in law enforcement for over 25 years before becoming sheriff of Clark County in 2014. He became well known in 2017 while overseeing the investigation into the Las Vegas mass shooting, the deadliest in modern U.S. history. Lombardo was born in Japan to a U.S. military family stationed overseas and served in the Army and the Nevada National Guard.

Ford, a former state senator, frequently spoke about experiencing poverty as a child and how his father brought home stale candy bars from the grocery store he worked at for the family’s dinner. Since being elected attorney general, he has secured millions in settlements from opioid manufacturers, and he successfully sued a student loan servicer as well as the gaming platform Roblox.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford speaks at an election night event Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo speaks to supporters as they wait for election results during a watch party Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, left, greets supporters after speaking at an election night event Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Supporters cheer as Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford speaks at an election night event Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford speaks at an election night event Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo votes beside his wife Donna Lombardo, left, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo speaks at a campaign rally Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Aaron Ford, attorney general of Nevada, listens as former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Culinary Workers Union headquarters Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo listens during a campaign rally Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — The pressure on the International Ice Hockey Federation grew Wednesday as two major sponsors of the men's world championship said they would review their involvement if Russia takes part.

The tournament's main sponsor, automaker Skoda, says it will “reassess” its involvement if Russia plays, and another longtime backer, Strauss, says it would refuse to have its logo shown.

A Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling last week obliged the IIHF to lift its exclusion of Russian national teams, which had been in place since 2022 over the war in Ukraine.

Almost half of the 16 nations in the men’s championship in Germany next May are refusing to play Russia. The Canadian government also says it will not allow Russia to compete at the world junior championship there starting next month.

“We do not support the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision regarding the participation of Russian national teams in IIHF competitions," the Czech Republic-based automaker Skoda, which is part of Germany’s Volkswagen Group, said in an e-mailed statement.

"With Russia’s aggression continuing, we believe the Russian national team’s return to the world championship is incompatible with the values we have consistently upheld.

“If the Russian national team takes part in the tournament, we will reassess our involvement in the tournament and take further action. We are actively monitoring the situation, remain in close contact with our partners and are confident that a constructive solution can be found.”

Skoda has been a tournament sponsor for more than 30 years.

The CEO of Strauss, which makes work clothing and equipment, said his company could withdraw as a sponsor if Russia plays, in a sign of further pressure from Germany.

“We have been a partner of the Ice Hockey World Championship for many years and value our collaboration with the IIHF," Henning Strauss said in an e-mailed statement.

"Should Russia’s national team participate in the 2027 World Championship in Germany as a result of the CAS ruling, we will forgo all logo exposure associated with the tournament. We are also considering withdrawing as a sponsor.”

Other sponsors have been critical of Russia's return. Nokian Tyres said it would end its backing if Russia takes part and furniture maker AJ Products, a tournament sponsor since 1989, said Monday it would ask for its logo not to be shown.

The IIHF said Wednesday that the impact of the ruling had been “significantly underestimated” and said it was still deciding how to react.

“The IIHF is aware of the recent statements made from key stakeholders regarding this decision and is carefully analyzing the scenarios around CAS’s ruling,” it said.

“As presented to the CAS, the immediate reintegration of Russian teams presents significant practical and sporting challenges, including visa and entry requirements, security provisions, logistical constraints and consequences for competition formats, all compounded by the limited time available, with some events only weeks away.

"The global impact of the decision made by the CAS Panel and the challenges it creates for all involved were significantly underestimated."

Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Norway, Denmark and Latvia have said they will play the tournament but not games against Russia, in a growing boycott since Finland declared its position Monday.

The Austrian federation became the seventh to join late Tuesday when its CEO Alexander Helwig told broadcaster ORF that “as of now, we would certainly not play against Russia," as part of broader European opposition.

Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyaryov said in a statement via the Tass news agency on Tuesday that he expected his country to be awarded wins if other nations forfeit games, and that Russia would send information to the International Olympic Committee about potential boycotts and the conduct of competition host nations.

See AP’s full sports coverage here

FILE - Logo of the Skoda car manufacturer during the annual shareholders meeting of the Volkswagen stock company in Hannover, Germany, Wednesday, May 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)

FILE - Team of Russia players celebrate during the Ice Hockey World Championship group A match between the Russia and Czech Republic at the Olympic Sports Center in Riga, Latvia, Friday, May 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Oksana Dzadan, File)