Nevada Attorney General, 2026 Democratic nominee for Governor
Aaron Ford enters 2026 with something few challengers carry: two statewide wins already banked in a state that rarely gives anyone a cushion. Nevada's attorney general since 2019, and the first African American to hold statewide constitutional office there, he won his first race by 0.4 points and his 2022 re-election by nearly eight, then took 63.3% in the June 9 Democratic primary over Washoe County commission chair Alexis Hill. His brand is a prosecutor's ledger: more than $1.1 billion in opioid settlements, plus child-safety action against tech platforms: a settlement with Roblox and suits against Meta, TikTok and others. The discount is ethics. A state panel in February advanced a complaint over corporate-sponsored travel and campaign fundraising links on his official account, Republicans have made his trips abroad a central attack, and since-cleared IRS tax liens from the early 2010s remain part of his record. Running against incumbent Joe Lombardo, who has Trump's endorsement, Ford's reputation will be judged on whether his cost-of-living case outweighs the travel story.