Comment on this story
comment
Republican Joe Lombardo is expected to unseat Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak in Nevada after a close race, giving the GOP its first pick in a gubernatorial race this election cycle.
In a statement released before the race was called Friday night, Sisolak said “it looks like we’re going to be a percentage point or so short of winning” and that he believes in “our electoral system, in democracy and in honor of the will of the voters of Nevada.” He pointed to the struggles of the past four years, including the pandemic and inflation, and said he reached out to Lombardo to wish him well.
During the campaign, Lombardo, the sheriff of Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, criticized Sisolak’s handling of crime and the coronavirus pandemic and tapped into the economic struggles of voters in a state where inflation has kept particularly high. He said he would be a “pro-life governor” but tried to downplay the issue, saying he would follow “the vote of the people” as Sisolak accused him of changing positions for political expediency.
“Our victory is a victory for all Nevadans who want our state back on track,” Lombardo said in a statement Friday night. “It’s a win for small business owners, for parents, for students and for law enforcement.”
Lombardo’s victory marks the first GOP gubernatorial takeover in a year in which many Democratic incumbents defied GOP hopes of a red wave, winning in tight races in Wisconsin, Michigan, Kansas and Oregon, where a independent candidate split the Democratic vote.
Unlike others at the top of the GOP ticket in Nevada, Lombardo has rejected former President Donald Trump’s baseless claim that the 2020 election was stolen, saying in a debate that the falsehood it bothered him After besting more than a dozen other candidates in a crowded Republican primary backed by Trump, she distanced herself from Trump at times but continued to campaign with the former president.
Lombardo also called for diversifying Nevada’s tourism-dependent economy and criticized its public education system.
Sisolak’s election in 2018, as Democrats also held state legislative majorities, gave his party unified control of state government for the first time in decades.
Lombardo received extensive financial support from Nevada businessman Robert Bigelow, owner of the Budget Suites of America hotel chain, who gave more than $13 million to political action committees promoting Lombardo. That helped Lombardo compete with Sisolak’s fundraising advantage.
While Democrats have had success in Nevada in recent years, statewide races are routinely decided by a couple of points or less, and both parties expected this year’s contests to be close. Nevada had a Republican governor, Brian Sandoval, from 2011 to 2019.
Amy B Wang contributed to this report.