2026 Nevada gubernatorial election


The 2026 Nevada gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of the U.S. state of Nevada. The primary elections will take place on June 9, 2026. Incumbent Republican governor Joe Lombardo is running for election to a second term in office.

Background

Nevada is considered to be a purple to slightly blue state at the federal and state levels, with neither party having control of all three branches of government. Apart from the governor, Nevada's lieutenant governor and state controller are Republicans. Nevada's attorney general, treasurer, and state secretary of state are Democrats. Donald Trump won the state in 2024, becoming the first Republican presidential nominee to win the state since 2004.
The Nevada Legislature is controlled by members of the Democratic Party, with a majority in both the state assembly and senate. The lieutenant governor, a Republican, serves as the president of the state senate but only votes in the case of a tie. At the federal level, both United States Senators and three out of four members of the United States House of Representatives from Nevada are Democrats.
With the exception of 2018, Republicans have won every gubernatorial election in the state since 1998.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Publicly expressed interest

Declined

General election

Polling

Joe Lombardo vs. Aaron Ford

Aggregate polls


Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Joe
Lombardo 		Aaron
Ford 		OtherUndecided
Emerson CollegeNovember 16–18, 2025800 ± 3.4%41%41%–18%
Noble Predictive InsightsOctober 7–13, 2025766 ± 3.5%40%37%–23%
Vote TXTMay 15–19, 2023412 ± 4.7%51%30%7%12%