election 2026:
Attorney General Aaron Ford, Democratic campaigner for Nevada governor, responds to a question from a newsman during a quality league extracurricular a Circle K convenience store astatine Spring Mountain Road and Arville Street Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. STEVE MARCUS Photo by: Steve Marcus / Las Vegas Sun
By Ava Chatlosh (contact)
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026 | 2 a.m.
Attorney General Aaron Ford is closing his run for politician the mode helium opened it: talking astir what Nevadans pay.
Last week, Ford signed a missive calling connected President Donald Trump to refund Nevada households $2,000 for rising state costs and asked his opponent, incumbent Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, to co-sign it. Diesel averaged $6.85 a gallon Wednesday successful Nevada, down somewhat from a grounds $6.87 a gallon Oct. 21, according to AAA. Regular unleaded averaged $5.27 a gallon, the third-highest successful the federation down California and Hawaii, according to AAA, and astir $1 much than the nationalist mean of $4.25.
Ford’s request is improbable to nutrient checks for Nevadans, according to 1 governmental observer.
“There is nary accidental the gambit succeeds,” said UNLV governmental subject prof David Damore.
But that wasn’t the point, helium said: “It draws attraction to the astir salient issues for voters — affordability — and places the blasted for the affordability situation connected the president’s policies.”
That framing has anchored Ford’s run for much than a year.
Launching his “Working Class First” circuit past November, Ford called Lombardo “our biggest roadblock to affordability” and tied economical uncertainty to the aboriginal months of Trump’s 2nd term.
In January, helium unveiled a lodging program focused connected protecting homebuyers and renters, gathering much housing, accessing national onshore and pushing backmost connected Trump’s tariffs. It included a pledge to headdress information deposits astatine 1 month’s rent alternatively of the existent three. He besides promised a first-day enforcement bid directing authorities agencies to find ways to little costs, saying affordability would beryllium the absorption of his full administration.
The state missive fits that pattern, including the effort to nexus Lombardo to Trump.
“The missive besides plays disconnected of Lombardo’s claims that helium has nonstop entree to Trump, but — astatine slightest successful Ford’s telling — the politician is not utilizing that narration to payment Nevadans,” Damore said.
Fuel costs person surged worldwide pursuing crisp drops successful lipid exports from Russia and Saudi Arabia owed to the extended warfare successful Ukraine and the Iran war, which began Feb. 28. Since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a captious shipping transmission for Middle Eastern oil, Trump has sought to little prices, but Middle Eastern refineries damaged by Iranian attacks person constrained proviso and constricted his success.
A July investigation by Democrats connected the Joint Economic Committee estimated that Nevada households person spent an mean of $460 much connected state since the Iran warfare began. Nevada Democrats’ $2,000 fig comes from a Moody’s Analytics estimation of what Trump’s broader economical policies outgo households each year.
Ford has acknowledged that a politician has small power implicit state prices. Instead, helium points to steps a politician tin take: escaped schoolhouse lunches and terms caps connected definite medicine drugs — some of which Lombardo has vetoed — and the information deposit cap.
“These are things the politician tin bash to code affordability,” Ford said. “He says helium can’t bash thing astir affordability.”
In September, Ford enactment it much broadly. “Elected officials, they should basal up for those who enactment them successful office,” helium said. “They invested their votes successful us; we should reinvest successful them by being consenting to basal up and combat for them.”
Lombardo’s campaign, which has focused mostly connected occupation maturation and education, responded to the missive Oct. 21.
“Two weeks earlier Election Day, Aaron Ford is promising $2,000 checks with nary program to wage for them oregon present them,” the run posted. It besides accused Ford of traveling retired of authorities much than 420 days arsenic lawyer wide alternatively of acting connected state prices.
The run highlighted Lombardo’s relation successful a bipartisan situation to California substance policies it says disrupt proviso and thrust up prices successful Nevada, his projected income taxation vacation and his instauration of a Fuel Resiliency Committee to fortify the state’s substance supply.
“Governor Lombardo is moving to present relief, and Aaron Ford is playing authorities with Nevada’s state prices,” the station said.
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