Nevada gubernatorial candidates clash over Trump's policies

Nevada's gubernatorial primaries are teasers to a competitive November election that is expected to be decided by narrow margins in the swing state. Gov. Joe Lombardo has faced minimal significant opposition to the Republican party nomination as state Attorney General Aaron Ford headlines the pack of Democratic candidates. The primary will be on Tuesday. Lombardo and Ford have traded verbal blows over months, taking opposite stances on the Trump administration while straining to present the most popular economic agenda amid the national rallying cry for affordability. "I would suggest that the governor focus on what Nevadans need today, as opposed to kowtowing to and kissing up to Donald Trump," Ford told reporters in March, criticizing Lombardo's economic agenda. Lombardo has supported Trump across his time in office, but has also appeared to distance himself at times from the Republican president. During an April visit to Las Vegas, Trump and Lombardo met only over the phone, which Lombardo said in an interview with Politico was due to a prior engagement. Ford has taken up a strongly oppositional stance on the Trump administration. A series of lawsuits against the federal government from the attorney general's office over issues from immigration to tariffs have been a defining feature of his time in office. Ford declined The Center Square's request for an interview. The Center Square also reached out to Lombardo for comment, but did not hear back by press time. March polling by Noble Predictive Insights showed Ford (38%) and Lombardo (39%) nearly tied in the race. NPI argued the election would largely be won over the economy. "Pocketbook [issues] are the No. 1 issue – housing affordability, jobs, inflation, cost of gas at the pump," Mike Noble, founder of Noble Predictive Insights, told The Center Square about the poll. "Can Lombardo talk about what he is doing to steer the ship in the right direction? Or Ford has to make the case that the current leadership is rudderless, and he will be the salvation for the electorate to ease up those pocketbook [issues]." But while polls have often featured Lombardo and Ford neck and neck, Democratic candidate and Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill has sought to remind voters that there are more options. "They're pretending they don't have a primary election – so as far as getting out the vote and engaging with voters, that's just not happening," Hill told The Center Square about Ford's campaign. "I symbolize change. Ford has been at the state for over 16 years and really has shown no vision as to what he wants to do as governor." Hill has challenged Ford to a primary debate in the past, while Ford previously responded to questions of a debate by saying he was focused on talking to voters. Hill outlined an agenda focused on the working class and basic government services. "Which means taxing billionaires and corporations, and I'm the only candidate who is willing to stand up and say these things and push back against the status quo," said Hill. "I think people are ready for change." Ford has also focused his campaign policies around the economy and affordability, highlighting medication costs, the price and renewability of energy, education access and affordable housing. "Healthcare premiums are on the rise at a time when healthcare costs have already risen faster here in Nevada than anywhere else in the nation," Ford told reporters in April. The Center Square published a report that found Nevada was among the states with the highest average health insurance premium increases. Lombardo similarly centered much of his campaign on cost of living, passing a $133 million law aimed at creating more affordable housing. Lombardo has also focused on social issues such as immigration enforcement. This week, the governor called on Republicans in Congress to pass legislation to fund ICE and enhance the U.S. Border Patrol. "Congress has a responsibility to ensure these agencies are fully funded and fully equipped to carry out their mission," Lombardo said in a statement. Ford criticized the move to support ICE by Lombardo in a statement, "The fact that Joe Lombardo wants to give more taxpayer dollars to ICE while Nevadans can't afford to live is shameful on multiple levels." Other major issues debated by the governor candidates have included mining, election security, voting rights and data centers. Hill has been the most vocal critic of tax abatements for data centers and called for the companies that run the energy intensive industry to supply their own clean energy to relieve the state's grid. Both primaries are packed with candidates, seven Republicans and six Democrats. Voting centers in Nevada are open now through Friday across Nevada. Voters can also submit a mail-in ballot through the state's universal mail-in ballot program. Polls are open on June 9 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, go to the Nevada Secretary of State's website, nvsos.gov. Early election results will be published on the evening of June 9 at www.thecentersquare.com/nevada.