Nevada Democrats lead governor's race, sweep other statewide offices in historic night

Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) is leading in the governor's race shortly after midnight on Wednesday, though it's still too close to call.

Aside from the governor's office, Democrats flipped two of the state's Republican-held seats while holding the other three statewide offices. The last time a single party secured all six constitutional offices was the GOP in 2014. Democrats have not held all constitutional offices since 1962.

Democrats surpassed even the most ambitious expectations nationwide in a significant rebuke of President Donald Trump (R).

And the results go beyond the statewide offices. Although some legislative races were too close to call as of early Wednesday, Democrats secured a two-thirds supermajority in the Assembly and are one seat shy in the state Senate, with two races offering the potential to flip a seat. A supermajority in both chambers would let them raise taxes and override the governor's vetoes.

Governor

With his lead coming out of Election Day, Ford could become the first elected Black governor west of the Mississippi River.

"I'm standing with a real chance of becoming governor," Ford said at a campaign watch party Tuesday evening, while supporters cheered him on as results showing a slight lead were projected onto a screen.

The lead comes despite outsized ad spending from his opponent Gov. Joe Lombardo (R), and is largely propelled by anti-GOP sentiment.

Voters interviewed by The Nevada Independent in Northern and Southern Nevada expressed frustration with Trump and shared that they were voting blue down the ballot to send a message to the sitting president.

"I'm here to do my part, my civic duty, to probably stop the most corrupt government that we've ever had in the United States of America," Chris Myers, 47, said about his decision to vote Tuesday.

Ford ran on a platform that tied Lombardo to Trump and criticized the sitting governor for a range of record-breaking vetoes that Ford said would have helped Nevadans better weather economic difficulties.

Lombardo emphasized on the campaign trail that he needed four more years to complete his agenda and better serve Nevadans, defending himself by pointing to his record on issues ranging from healthcare and education to housing and the economy.

The message, however, doesn't appear to have given Lombardo the edge.

Myers said he was frustrated by video footage of the governor seemingly getting out of a traffic ticket that went viral earlier in the election cycle.

"It's 'come on, guys,' for him and tickets for the rest of us," he said. "I get a ticket for parking outside of my house, and this guy, come on, get him out of there."

Attorney general

In the race for attorney general, Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) defeated lawyer Adriana Guzmán Fralick (R), The Indy projected. It means Cannizzaro will vacate her spot leading the Senate Democratic Caucus to become the state's top law enforcement officer. Clark County officials will now meet to appoint Cannizzaro's replacement in the Senate, while Democratic senators will choose who will lead the caucus during next year's legislative session.

Cannizzaro's victory reflects the success in centering a campaign around some of the most unpopular political topics: Trump and data centers. She regularly pledged to stand up to the Trump administration, while Democrats called Guzmán Fralick "MAGA Adriana," in part because of her past comments that the state should "roll with the punches" when it comes to data centers.

Although Guzmán Fralick kept Trump at arm's length during the general election, she touted his endorsement ahead of the June primary and appeared unable to stave off the anti-Trump headwinds.

Secretary of state

As of Tuesday evening, the most lopsided statewide results were in the race for secretary of state, where incumbent Cisco Aguilar (D) defeated former state Assm. Jim Marchant (R). Aguilar also beat Marchant in the 2022 race for secretary of state.

Aguilar's victory all but ensures there will not be seismic changes to Nevada's election systems across the next four years. Marchant says he has not trusted election results in decades, including in races where he won, and eyed radical changes, including an end to electronic voting and the unregistering of all voters. He also wanted to cooperate with the Trump administration's efforts to interfere in Nevada's elections, and he was the only Republican statewide candidate to not receive Lombardo's endorsement.

Aguilar, who raised much more money than Marchant, focused his campaign on standing up to the Trump administration and two massive projects that his office completed: a new statewide election management system and a new platform for Nevadans to register their businesses. Although he does not support significant changes to Nevada election laws, he has voiced support for more modest reforms, such as allowing people to insert their mail ballot in a ballot scanner at a polling location.

Controller

Controller Andy Matthews (R) appeared to have a path to glide to victory to continue serving as Nevada's chief fiscal officer, but he too has suffered from the anti-Republican sentiment.

Michael MacDougall, a high school teacher in Clark County, told The Indy earlier this year that his win could happen only because of the anti-GOP voting trends. Matthews had acknowledged it was a factor in the race, but he was confident he could stave off the Democratic headwinds.

The controller is likely the least known statewide office. Their responsibilities include overseeing the state's accounting system and collecting debts.

Matthews focused his campaign on his office's release of a new website that provides the public with real-time data on state spending. Meanwhile, MacDougall criticized the controller's office's delays in publishing an annual financial report.

Treasurer

Tya Mathis-Coleman (D), a staffer in Treasurer Zach Conine's (D) office, will become Nevada's next treasurer, besting her opponent, policy analyst Drew Johnson (R).

Despite being a political newcomer, Mathis-Coleman has scored the endorsement of local political heavyweights, including the Southern Nevada Building Trades Union and Teamsters Nevada. Early on in the race, Conine endorsed Mathis-Coleman, saying she "revolutionized" the office's college savings in her role as a deputy treasurer.

The office is responsible for overseeing state investments and maintaining records of unclaimed property. It is also responsible for administering the state's Millennium Scholarship program, which has helped about 200,000 students afford college, but is expected to be insolvent next year.

Lieutenant governor

Assm. Sandra Jauregui (D-Las Vegas) has won the Nevada lieutenant governor's race, ousting incumbent Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony (R).

Although the lieutenant governor's office is largely considered a symbolic role, Jauregui's campaign drew national attention with endorsements from former Transportation Department Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ). In October, the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association invested $1.86 million into supporting Jauregui's race — the largest investment ever in a Nevada lieutenant governor race.

Before running for lieutenant governor, Jauregui was the Assembly majority leader for three years.