Joseph
Lombardo

Second-quarter campaign-finance reports showed Lombardo with $9.2 million cash on hand compared to Aaron Ford's $2.6 million. The Democratic Governors Association had separately spent or reserved more than $12.8 million for Nevada governor ads.

A Deseret News analysis noted that Nevada could buck a broader Democratic wave, with Lombardo maintaining a polling lead and Trump helping Republican congressional candidates in the state.

The National Federation of Independent Business' Nevada political action committee endorsed Governor Lombardo for reelection, citing his veto record and support for right-to-work protections.

KUNR and Sierra Nevada Forums held a gubernatorial candidate forum. Aaron Ford participated, but Lombardo's campaign had declined the invitation, leaving an empty podium in his place.

Nevada's largest teachers' union, the Clark County Education Association, backed Lombardo for reelection. Democratic Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson also endorsed him, stating: 'I'm a Democrat, and he's a Republican, but that has never mattered when it comes to public safety.'

Governor Lombardo made a campaign stop in Reno where he promised voters there would be no new taxes under his continued leadership.

A poll highlighted by Reuters and AOL found Lombardo leading his Democratic challenger, making him the only Republican candidate ahead in Nevada statewide races.

A Noble Predictive Insights poll of 708 likely voters (Sept. 22–26) showed Lombardo leading Ford 42% to 40%, with independent Danielle Ford at 7% and 9% undecided. The margin of error was ±3.68%, making the race effectively a toss-up.

The Reno Gazette Journal published a candidate Q&A with Governor Joe Lombardo and AG Aaron Ford covering key issues in the 2026 Nevada governor's race.

Lombardo's campaign formally declined on October 2 to participate in a candidate forum organized by KUNR and Sierra Nevada Forums, after organizers had contacted both campaigns beginning in June. The forum was held on October 8 with an empty podium for Lombardo.

Nevada media described Lombardo's September executive order as restricting tax relief for data centers. Lombardo and Ford had been criticizing each other over the industry, with Ford pledging to pause new tax breaks if elected.

Cook Political Report and Silver Bulletin rated the Nevada governor's race a toss-up, while Inside Elections rated it as tilting Republican, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.

Lombardo signed Executive Order 2026-005 establishing new conditions for data-center tax-abatement applications, requiring applicants to pay the Local School Support Tax in full, cover project-related costs rather than pass them to ratepayers, and make commitments on water, electricity, and community impacts.

Lombardo signed an emergency order directing that statewide education funding use older, higher enrollment counts amid Clark County school-district staffing concerns, helping the district avoid most disruption from an estimated 577-person staff surplus and averting $51 million in potential cuts.