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 re-election to a second term in office.

Source: Wikipedia

Article

2026 Nevada gubernatorial election

Background

2026 Nevada gubernatorial election

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 (/wiki/2024UnitedStatespresidentialelection), becoming the first Republican presidential nominee to win the state since (/wiki/2004UnitedStatespresidentialelectioninNevada).

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 (/wiki/2018Nevadagubernatorialelection), Republicans have won every gubernatorial election in the state since (/wiki/1998Nevadagubernatorialelection).

Republican primary

Declared

• Donald J. Beaudry Jr., AI executive • Irina Hansen, salon owner and candidate for mayor of Las Vegas in (/wiki/2024LasVegasmayoralelection) • M. Kameron Hawkins, candidate for lieutenant governor in (/wiki/2022Nevadalieutenantgubernatorialelection) • Joe Lombardo, incumbent governor (2023–present) • Matthew Winterhawk, businessman • Jose M. Zalaya • Barak Zilberberg, candidate for governor in (/wiki/2022Nevadagubernatorialelection)

Polling

<table><thead><tr><th>Poll source</th><th>Date(s) administered</th><th>Sample size</th><th>Margin of error</th><th>Irina Hansen</th><th>Joe Lombardo</th><th>Matthew Winterhawk</th><th>Jose Zalaya</th><th>Undecided</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Noble Predictive Insights</td><td>March 10–13, 2026</td><td>306 (V)</td><td>± 5.6%</td><td>4%</td><td>60%</td><td>7%</td><td>4%</td><td>24%</td></tr></tbody></table>

Democratic primary

Declared

• Sunshine Arterburn • Miqehl Bayfield • Emile Bouari, businessman • James Cooper • Aaron Ford, Nevada attorney general (2019–present) • Alexis Hill, Washoe County commission chair (2023–present) from the 1st district (2021–present)

Declined

• Sandra Jauregui, majority leader of the Nevada Assembly (2023–present) from the 41st district (2016–present) (running for lieutenant governor; endorsed Ford) • Steve Yeager, speaker of the Nevada Assembly (2022–present) from the 9th district (2016–present)

Polling

<table><thead><tr><th>Poll source</th><th>Date(s) administered</th><th>Sample size</th><th>Margin of error</th><th>Aaron Ford</th><th>Alexis Hill</th><th>Other</th><th>Undecided</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Change Research (D)</td><td>December 11–18, 2025</td><td>555 (LV)</td><td>± 4.3%</td><td>48%</td><td>13%</td><td>1%</td><td>39%</td></tr></tbody></table>

Independent candidates

Declared

• Max Beck, Lyon county deputy sheriff • Jordan Koteras • Allen Rheinhart, perennial candidate • Emilio R. Rodriguez • John T. Scott

Filed paperwork

• Danielle Ford, member of the Nevada State Board of Education

General election

Predictions

<table><thead><tr><th>Source</th><th>Ranking</th><th>As of</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>The Cook Political Report</td><td>Tossup</td><td>September 11, 2025</td></tr><tr><td>Inside Elections</td><td>Tilt R</td><td>August 28, 2025</td></tr><tr><td>Sabato's Crystal Ball</td><td>Lean R</td><td>September 4, 2025</td></tr><tr><td>Race to the WH</td><td>Tossup</td><td>November 25, 2025</td></tr></tbody></table>

Polling

<table><thead><tr><th>Source of poll aggregation</th><th>Dates administered</th><th>Dates updated</th><th>Joe Lombardo (R)</th><th>Aaron Ford (D)</th><th>Other/Undecided</th><th>Margin</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Race to the WH</td><td>through March 31, 2026</td><td>April 1, 2026</td><td>42.1%</td><td>39.5%</td><td>18.4%</td><td>Lombardo +2.6%</td></tr><tr><td>RealClearPolitics</td><td>November 16, 2025 – March 13, 2026</td><td>March 27, 2026</td><td>40.0%</td><td>39.5%</td><td>20.5%</td><td>Lombardo +0.5%</td></tr><tr><td>Average</td><td>41.0%</td><td>39.5%</td><td>19.5%</td><td>Lombardo +1.5%</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table><thead><tr><th>Poll source</th><th>Date(s) administered</th><th>Sample size</th><th>Margin of error</th><th>Joe Lombardo (R)</th><th>Aaron Ford (D)</th><th>Other</th><th>Undecided</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Noble Predictive Insights</td><td>March 10–13, 2026</td><td>845 (RV)</td><td>± 3.4%</td><td>39%</td><td>38%</td><td>6%</td><td>17%</td></tr><tr><td>Hart Research</td><td>February 11–17, 2026</td><td>800 (LV)</td><td>–</td><td>46%</td><td>43%</td><td>–</td><td>11%</td></tr><tr><td>Emerson College</td><td>November 16–18, 2025</td><td>800 (RV)</td><td>± 3.4%</td><td>41%</td><td>41%</td><td>–</td><td>18%</td></tr><tr><td>Noble Predictive Insights</td><td>October 7–13, 2025</td><td>766 (RV)</td><td>± 3.5%</td><td>40%</td><td>37%</td><td>–</td><td>23%</td></tr><tr><td>Vote TXT</td><td>May 15–19, 2023</td><td>412 (RV)</td><td>± 4.7%</td><td>51%</td><td>30%</td><td>7%</td><td>12%</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table><thead><tr><th>Poll source</th><th>Date(s) administered</th><th>Sample size</th><th>Margin of error</th><th>Irina Hansen (R)</th><th>Aaron Ford (D)</th><th>Other</th><th>Undecided</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Noble Predictive Insights</td><td>March 10–13, 2026</td><td>845 (RV)</td><td>± 3.4%</td><td>32%</td><td>37%</td><td>8%</td><td>23%</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table><thead><tr><th>Poll source</th><th>Date(s) administered</th><th>Sample size</th><th>Margin of error</th><th>Matthew Winterhawk (R)</th><th>Aaron Ford (D)</th><th>Other</th><th>Undecided</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Noble Predictive Insights</td><td>March 10–13, 2026</td><td>845 (RV)</td><td>± 3.4%</td><td>31%</td><td>37%</td><td>8%</td><td>24%</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table><thead><tr><th>Poll source</th><th>Date(s) administered</th><th>Sample size</th><th>Margin of error</th><th>Jose alaya (R)</th><th>Aaron Ford (D)</th><th>Other</th><th>Undecided</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Noble Predictive Insights</td><td>March 10–13, 2026</td><td>845 (RV)</td><td>± 3.4%</td><td>30%</td><td>36%</td><td>9%</td><td>25%</td></tr></tbody></table>