Nevada's Joe Lombardo Faces 2026 Tossup as Trump Discontent Threatens 2nd Term

2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 26

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo’s once-favored 2026 re-election bid has tightened into a tossup, putting the Republican incumbent in one of the country’s most competitive governor’s races.
Trump-era dissatisfaction over the economy, immigration and the Iran war has created the headwinds, with Republicans increasingly worried those issues could drive a damaging midterm backlash.
Lombardo, seeking a second four-year term, has largely avoided mentioning Trump on the trail and instead cast himself as a low-key conservative focused on education, public safety and economic diversification.
Nevada’s large bloc of independent voters and its sensitivity to rising prices have made his balancing act especially difficult, turning the race into a test of whether a Republican can separate himself from an unpopular president.