LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Early in his first campaign for governor, Joe Lombardo was talking about the perils of one-party rule in Carson City.
A wisecracking reporter agreed, pointing out that when Republicans held the Legislature and the governor's mansion in the 2015 session, they passed the largest tax increase in state history.
WATCH | "No new taxes" still applies, Lombardo says
But, Lombardo countered, when do governors of either party usually propose new taxes? In their first term, before they faced re-election, or in their second, when they didn't have to face voters again?
Unquestionably, it's almost always the latter.
Just in case anybody thinks Lombardo might go soft on taxes if he's re-elected to a second term as governor, he's got a succinct message: "It's not happening."
"I made that promise last time, and it occurred this last cycle, right?" Lombardo said. "I made that promise going forward and we're going to do everything within our power to ensure it doesn't happen again. I always think there's another way to do business in government, and the answer is not to raise taxes. That is the default answer."
Lombardo says the tax burden is already high, even though Nevada has no state income tax, like many of its neighbors. The onus is on public officials to live within their means, he told Channel 13 in an exclusive interview.
"The majority of your tax dollars go to government services. And it's my duty, it's our duty to be more effective and efficient with less, not with more. I stand for smaller government and how we can better adjust the cost of doing business to benefit our constituents. And that's the answer to raising taxes."
The Legislature hasn't entertained major tax increase plans since the commerce tax on business was enacted in 2015, and a mining tax was raised in 2021. But there have been repeated calls to revisit property tax abatements enacted about 20 years ago that keep increases small.
Film tax? No regrets
Lombardo also addressed the issue of bills that would have authorized about $1.8 billion in transferable tax credits to allow a coalition of the Howard Hughes Corp., Sony Pictures and Warner Bros./Discovery to build a film studio in Summerlin.
A bill to authorize the credits passed the Assembly but died in the Senate during the regular session in 2025. But Lombardo — who says he was assured by legislative leaders they had the votes to pass the measure — put it on a special session agenda in November.
The bill again passed the Assembly by a single vote — with a bipartisan coalition both in support and opposition — but died on the Senate floor, also by a single vote.
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"We went through the process with the legislative leadership and some individuals changed their mind for various reasons, whatever they may be," Lombardo said.
The bill drew opposition because of its size; had it been approved, it would have been the state's largest tax giveaway in history. And some opposed it because it would benefit a monied developer and well-off Hollywood studios.
But Lombardo said he supported it because of the benefits to the state. "To me, it was an economic driver," he said. "Remove the title of film bill, or tax bill, or whatever, 'Hollywood handout,' whatever it may be. It ended up being a jobs bill. And if you do the long-term vision associated with it, it would be a huge benefit to us in the long term. And I think there was a lot of short-sightedness, short-sighted look at that particular bill, and it did not pass."
Transgender sports initiative
Lombardo is chairman of a citizen initiative that seeks to amend the state constitution to ban biological men from playing in women's sports. If the measure collects the required 148,789 valid signatures by June, it will appear on the November ballot.
Lombardo has discussed the measure in terms of its popularity (polls show most voters approve) and in terms of driving turnout in the November election.
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But Channel 13 asked if he was worried that members of the LGBTQIA community might feel his support of the initiative would be seen as an attack on them by their governor.
"No, not until you just brought it up," Lombardo said. "You know, that wasn't my motivation, that wasn't my reason for doing what I'm doing. I think an ancillary effect is voter turnout as a result of this.
"It started out [it] was the right thing to do," he added. "I don't know if it will be a benefit or not, you know, in voter turnout, but either way, I support it and I believe it will be successful because it's the right thing to do."
Supporters of the measure argue the constitution needs to be amended because in 2022, voters approved an equal rights amendment which guarantees equal treatment regardless of "...race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry or national origin."
Because of that, even if the Democrats who control the Legislature passed a law banning biological men in women's sports, that law could be challenged on constitutional grounds.
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