Nevada Governor’s Race Takes Shape as Hill Challenges Ford, Lombardo Eyes Voting Reforms

Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill mounts a long-shot Democratic primary bid while Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo calls universal mail balloting a 'national embarrassment.'

The race for Nevada's governorship is heating up on two fronts: Democratic challenger Alexis Hill is knocking doors across Las Vegas in a long-shot bid to unseat party frontrunner Aaron Ford in the primary, while Republican incumbent Gov. Joe Lombardo is pushing to roll back universal mail balloting and tighten ballot-receipt deadlines ahead of the next election cycle.

Alexis Hill's Uphill Battle in the Democratic Primary

Alexis Hill, a two-term Washoe County Commissioner who represents northern Nevada, is waging what many observers consider an improbable campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. On a warm day in Las Vegas, Hill was canvassing the Crestwood neighborhood in the center of the city, leaving flyers under doormats and stopping to check her phone's map to stay on course.

When three people seated at a table outside a home asked what she was selling, Hill's answer was direct: 'I want to be governor.' The 42-year-old candidate has been spending nearly half of each week in Las Vegas since announcing her gubernatorial bid in September, maintaining contact with her northern Nevada base through video calls.

Hill holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Texas A&M University and a master's degree in public administration and policy from the University of Nevada, Reno. She spent more than a decade working in urban planning and public policy in Sparks and Reno before entering elected office, where she served as chair of the Washoe County Commission.

Ford Leads in Fundraising and Polling

The acknowledged frontrunner for the Democratic nomination is Aaron Ford, who served two terms as Nevada Attorney General and held leadership positions in the state Legislature. Ford has outraised Hill in campaign fundraising, and most public polls either do not include Hill as an option or show her trailing by double digits.

Prediction markets have been similarly skeptical of Hill's chances, only recently beginning to factor her into their models — and currently giving her roughly a 2 percent chance of winning the primary. Even a poll released by Hill's own campaign showed her at a significant disadvantage.

Despite those numbers, Hill remains publicly committed to her candidacy. 'I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't believe we could win,' she told The Nevada Independent. 'What voters are looking for right now is relationships and authenticity. And the only way to achieve that is by connecting with people, and that's what I do every day.'

Hill's Platform and Anti-Establishment Message

Hill is leaning into voter frustration with the Democratic Party establishment as a central theme of her campaign. While her campaign website promises taxes on billionaires, she describes the core of her platform as 'moderate changes for the state' — positions she argues only appear extreme because they have not been addressed.

On the trail in Las Vegas, Hill tailors her message to individual voters, discussing the financial pressures facing retirees on fixed incomes and listening to a young couple's concerns about buying their first home. Her campaign strategy relies heavily on direct voter contact rather than the fundraising infrastructure and name recognition that typically define competitive statewide races in Nevada.

Lombardo Pushes to End Universal Mail Balloting

On the Republican side, incumbent Gov. Joe Lombardo is using his platform to advocate for significant changes to Nevada's voting laws, specifically targeting the universal mail ballot system put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under current Nevada law, all active registered voters automatically receive a mail ballot at their home.

Lombardo told Channel 13 in an exclusive interview that the pandemic-era policy should not be made permanent. 'As a result of COVID, a decision was made, but that was a COVID-era decision, and there's no reason to continue it in perpetuity,' Lombardo said. 'When the emergency is over, right? You can't make up the emergency as you go along the way.'

The governor argued that universal mail balloting is both costly and prone to waste. 'It costs $12 million, approximately $12 million, to do universal mail, and a lot of those pieces of paper or ballots end up in the trash as a result of that process,' Lombardo said. He added that requesting a mail ballot is not burdensome: 'It is not difficult, it's not regressive, it's not in any form detrimental for an individual to make the simple effort to request a mail ballot.'

Ballot Deadlines and the Post-Election Counting Debate

Beyond the question of who receives a mail ballot automatically, Lombardo is particularly focused on moving back the deadline by which mail ballots must be received. Under current Nevada law, ballots postmarked by Election Day can be received and counted up to four days afterward, and ballots arriving without a postmark can be counted up to three days after Election Day.

Lombardo wants all ballots in the hands of county clerks on Election Day itself. Referring to the extended counting window, he said: 'We're a national embarrassment.' Democrats have pushed back, arguing that universal mail ballots make voting as accessible as possible. Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar has noted that the vast majority of ballots are received by Election Day, with results in all but the closest races determined by then.

The debate has real electoral stakes. There have been Nevada races in which a candidate led on Election Day only to see that lead erode as mail ballots were counted in the days that followed. Some have alleged fraud in those circumstances, while others maintain the shifting tallies reflect the legitimate counting of validly cast votes.

Lombardo on Water and Growth

In the same interview, Lombardo addressed Nevada's water future, pointing to the ongoing dispute over Colorado River allocations as highlighting disparities between upper basin states like Colorado and Wyoming and lower basin states like Nevada. He credited the state's conservation and water recycling efforts, noting that Nevada sends most of its used water back to Lake Mead and benefits from return flow credits against its 300,000 acre-foot allocation.

'So if you put it in a timeline, so 30, 40 years, we're using the same amount of water that we did 40 years ago because of all those efforts,' Lombardo said. On the question of whether Las Vegas can sustain continued population growth, Lombardo said the city can rely on Colorado River water and groundwater, though he acknowledged limits on the groundwater supply. He emphasized that growth remains essential to the state's economic health.

What we know

• Alexis Hill is a two-term Washoe County Commissioner who announced her Democratic gubernatorial candidacy in September and has been spending nearly half of each week campaigning in Las Vegas.
• Aaron Ford, who served two terms as Nevada Attorney General and held legislative leadership roles, is considered the Democratic frontrunner and has outraised Hill in campaign fundraising.
• Most public polls either exclude Hill or show her trailing Ford by double digits; prediction markets currently give her approximately a 2 percent chance of winning the primary.
• Gov. Joe Lombardo wants to end Nevada's automatic universal mail ballot system, which was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic and currently sends ballots to all active registered voters.
• Lombardo said universal mail balloting costs approximately $12 million and results in many ballots being discarded or sent to outdated addresses.
• Under current Nevada law, mail ballots postmarked by Election Day can be received and counted up to four days later, and ballots without a postmark can be counted up to three days after Election Day.
• Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar has said the vast majority of ballots are received by Election Day, with results in all but the closest races decided by then.
• Hill holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Texas A&M University and a master's in public administration and policy from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Why it matters

Nevada's 2026 governor's race will shape policy on voting access, water rights, housing affordability, and taxation in one of the fastest-growing states in the country. The Democratic primary contest between Hill and Ford will test whether an outsider candidate with deep community ties can overcome a well-funded establishment favorite. Meanwhile, Lombardo's push to overhaul mail voting rules could significantly affect turnout and election administration statewide, with implications for competitive races up and down the ballot.

What’s next

The Democratic primary for governor remains ongoing, with Hill continuing her door-to-door campaign strategy across Las Vegas and southern Nevada. Lombardo's proposals to end universal mail balloting and tighten ballot-receipt deadlines would require legislative action. The Republican incumbent also faces the Democratic nominee — whether Ford or Hill — in the general election. No specific primary or legislative dates were cited in available reporting.

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