LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo returned to his alma mater, Rancho High School, Monday to officially announce his bid for a second and final term.
If re-elected in November 2026, Lombardo will serve until the end of the decade.
Speaking to a crowd of about 200 people, Lombardo credited Rancho with giving him the start that allowed him to serve in the U.S. Army, pursue a career in law enforcement and ultimately serve for eight years as the sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
VIDEO: Steve Sebelius reports the latest on Gov. Lombardo announcing his second run for governor
But Lombardo said being governor was never something he envisioned for himself in the halls at Rancho.
"There was no phantom of me attending high school that I would eventually run for governor, never in the back of my mind or the front of my mind," Lombardo said. "But as a result of that education and that foundation, I stand before you today."
Even though Lombardo turned in his sheriff badge when he won the governor's race in 2022, he said public safety is still a priority.
"That remains my motivation, keeping Nevada safe, strong and full of opportunity," he said. "So we've accomplished a lot in the last three years. Serving as your governor has been the honor of my life and now Donna and I would like to ask again for your support to finish the job we started."
In a line that has become a common refrain, Lombardo referred to his unofficial campaign slogan: "Nevadans didn't send me to Carson City to play politics. You hired me to get s—- done. You sent me there to deliver results, restore balance to our political system, find consensus and solve real problems for everyday Nevadans."
In his speech, Lombardo touted his record:
- Cutting or streamlining what he called "burdensome regulations."
- Presiding over a 4% increase in jobs since 2022, although Lombardo acknowledged the state's 5.4% unemployment rate — 49th in the country — was too high. "Our unemployment rate is unacceptable, and so is the high number of vacant jobs waiting for the right applicant. That is why we will continue to invest in workforce training," he said.
- Adding $2 billion to the schools budget, the largest investment in state history.
- Raising teacher pay at public and charter schools.
- Restoring the Read by Grade 3 program.
- Adding accountability measures to an education reform bill.
- Raising pay for police officers and passing tougher penalties for fentanyl traffickers and domestic abusers.
- Passing a housing bill that puts $183 million toward homes so middle-class families can afford to buy a house.
Democratic criticism
National and state Democrats, however, criticized Lombardo, with a news release from the Nevada State Democratic Party calling his candidacy "doomed."
“Joe Lombardo hasn’t offered a single serious solution to make life affordable for Nevadans," said Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno, chairwoman of the state Democratic Party, in a statement. "Under his failed leadership, costs are up, tourism is plummeting, unemployment has gotten worse and is among the highest in the nation, and Nevada still hasn’t fully recovered from the worst cyberattack in state history."
The statement goes on to criticze Lombardo for his record number of vetoes, including bills on prescription drugs, housing and school meals.
“Lombardo’s record is clear and Nevadans can’t afford another four years of broken promises and sky-high costs," the statement says. "Democrats are building an unmatched ground game and remain laser-focused on the issues that matter most to hardworking families and together, we will make Lombardo a one-term governor.”
Democratic Governors Association spokeswoman Johanna Warshaw was equally critical in a statement.
“Lombardo will have to answer for his failed record that includes supporting tariffs that are jacking up costs and gutting Nevada’s tourism industry, blocking efforts to lower prescription drug costs and address the housing crisis, and claiming that Nevadans should be ‘excited’ about Donald Trump’s budget law that’s ripping health care away from more than 115,000 people in the state."
And Lombardo's likely Democratic foe, Attorney General Aaron Ford, made similar charges.
"Joe Lombardo has failed to lower costs and make life more affordable for hardworking Nevada families," Ford's statement reads. "On his watch, housing costs are at record highs, Nevada has had one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation for more than a year, we’ve lagged behind the rest of the nation in job growth, and our schools remain underfunded and overcrowded. Donald Trump’s price-raising policies are stifling tourism, curtailing consumer spending, and ripping Medicaid and SNAP benefits away from tens of thousands of Nevadans to pay for billionaire tax breaks; yet Lombardo continues to sell out to Trump time and again at the direct expense of Nevadans."
Defending his veto record
Lombardo addressed his veto record — 162 rejected bills, more than any other Nevada chief executive — in his speech.
"I vetoed more than 160 bills because they made Nevada less safe, they grew government, raised taxes or misused your hard-earned taxpayer dollars," he said. "160 vetoes are nothing to celebrate ... It's nothing to celebrate because what that means is bad government. I won't hesitate to say no again, or to be the last line of defense between you and irresponsible politicians."
Lombardo warned that if Democrats won the governor's mansion and the Legislature, things would get worse in the state.
"If Democrats take back power in Carson City, you know what will happen? Higher taxes, fewer jobs, boys in girls sports and more soft on crime laws that make everything we buy more expensive and everything we do less safe."
Despite the partisan differences, however, Lombardo ended his remarks with a call for Nevadans to work together.
"I often talk about the Nevada Way, a concept that, as Nevadans, if we believe in ourselves sufficiently enough and trust one another to overcome adversity no matter the magnitude, we shall never fail," he said. "Let's start, let's decide Nevada's future together."
So far, Lombardo has no serious opponent in the GOP primary. Ford faces a primary foe in Washoe County Commission Chairwoman Alexis Hill, who announced her campaign in Las Vegas recently. And former Gov. Steve Sisolak, whom Lombardo narrowly defeated in 2022 by a vote of 49% to 47%, may also make a comeback bid.