Campaign 2026:
Incumbent Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, left, volition quadrate disconnected successful November against Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford successful the November gubernatorial predetermination successful Nevada. Photo by: Sun File
By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact)
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 | 11 a.m.
A caller poll released Wednesday shows the Nevada governor’s contention is deadlocked betwixt Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford, adjacent arsenic Lombardo and his allies person outspent Ford’s broadside by a wide borderline heading into the Nov. 3 wide election.
The survey, conducted July 15-16 by Public Policy Polling for the Democratic Governors Association, recovered Ford and Lombardo each drafting 44% enactment among 558 apt wide predetermination voters, with 12% undecided.
The DGA, successful a memo accompanying the poll’s release, said Lombardo and his allies person spent much than $27 cardinal against Ford without opening a meaningful lead. The memo cited ad-tracking information showing Lombardo and Republican-aligned groups outspent Democratic-aligned entities by much than 168-to-1 connected advertizing since December 2025 — much than $13 cardinal to astir $77,000. With Ford’s run not yet moving important paid advertising, the DGA said, helium has country to grow.
“This polling is conscionable the latest information that makes wide Joe Lombardo is the astir susceptible incumbent politician up for re-election this November,” DGA Political Director Chris Sloan wrote successful the memo.
The canvass besides recovered President Donald Trump profoundly unpopular successful Nevada, with 54% of respondents disapproving of his occupation show and 43% approving. Fifty-three percent of voters said Lombardo does not basal up to Trump enough, portion 30% said helium stands up to the president astir the close magnitude and 5% said helium does truthful excessively much.
Lombardo’s favorability stood astatine 39% favorable and 45% unfavorable. Ford’s favorability was 28% favorable and 33% unfavorable, with a notably precocious 39% of respondents unsure — a fig the DGA characterized arsenic an accidental for growth.
On the question of Nevada’s direction, 55% of respondents said things person gotten disconnected connected the incorrect track, compared to 30% who said the authorities is headed successful the close direction.
The canvass tested a opposition cardinal to Ford’s run message: 47% of voters agreed with Ford that Lombardo has not done capable to assistance Nevadans struggling with precocious costs and unemployment linked to Trump’s agenda, portion 39% agreed with Lombardo’s presumption that planetary forces are liable for Nevada’s economical conditions.
The poll’s merchandise coincided with renewed scrutiny of Lombardo’s narration with Trump. The Nevada Independent reported Monday that it had obtained audio of the politician speaking astatine a closed-door lawsuit for veterans connected July 2, successful which helium likened Trump to his “commanding officer” and said the narration was indispensable to forestall much assertive Immigration and Customs Enforcement enactment successful Las Vegas.
Lombardo won the 2022 gubernatorial predetermination by astir 1.5 percent points implicit then-Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak, flipping the spot from bluish to red, and helium has since emerged arsenic a apical people for Democrats. Ford, who won the Democratic superior successful June, heads to a Nov. 3 wide predetermination portion successful his 2nd word arsenic lawyer general.
The Public Policy Polling canvass carries a borderline of mistake of astir positive oregon minus 4.1 percent points for a illustration of 558 respondents. PPP conducted the survey by a premix of landline and text; 78% of respondents were reached by text. The canvass was commissioned by the DGA, a partisan enactment that supports Democratic gubernatorial candidates.
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