Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson crossed party lines to endorse Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo for re-election, telling the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Lombardo is the better choice on public safety. Wolfson, a Democrat, cited his 30-year relationship with Lombardo, who previously served as Clark County sheriff, saying the two "worked together to put violent criminals behind bars." The endorsement breaks from the traditional party unity seen during the era of the late U.S. Sen. Harry Reid.
In a campaign ad, Wolfson sharply criticized Attorney General Aaron Ford, Lombardo's Democratic challenger. "Aaron Ford calls himself Nevada's top cop. No way," Wolfson said in the ad. "Ford cares more about criminals than victims. Joe Lombardo fights for us." Wolfson told the Review-Journal that Ford's office does "very little" compared to his own, which is "in the trenches every single day." He also said Ford's office refused requests to appeal certain federal rulings.
Wolfson specifically criticized Ford's handling of the Kirstin "Blaise" Lobato case. Lobato was convicted in a 2001 killing but later won a $34 million federal verdict and a certificate of innocence after jurors found police detectives fabricated evidence. Wolfson and current Sheriff Kevin McMahill signed a letter questioning the settlement and indicating they still believed in Lobato's guilt. "I believe that she committed the crime," Wolfson said.
Lobato's attorney, David Owens, countered that Ford's office reviewed scientific evidence proving Lobato was hours away from the slaying of Duran Bailey and agreed she was innocent. "Wolfson needs to get over it," Owens said. "He needs to accept that Lobato is innocent and that the Nevada courts and his office made a mistake by prosecuting an innocent person." Ford's campaign declined to make him available for an interview but has run ads highlighting his work with law enforcement to reduce violent crime.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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