Aaron Ford has ousted Republican Joe Lombardo as governor of Nevada, delivering Democrats a significant victory in one of America’s most closely fought swing states.
Ford, 54, the state’s attorney general, was declared the winner in the early hours of Wednesday. With 85 per cent of the expected vote reported, he was leading with 51.5 per cent, compared with 44.3 per cent for the incumbent.
The result marked only the second Democratic victory in the Nevada governor’s race since 1998 and added to a series of Republican setbacks during the midterm elections.
Ford made the cost-of-living crisis the centrepiece of his campaign, blaming President Trump for the economic difficulties facing Nevadans. On the campaign trail, he frequently referred to the “Lombardo-Trump economy”.
Although Democrats secured victories for candidates on the party’s left in races across the country, Ford defeated a more progressive challenger in his own primary before presenting himself as a moderate in the general election.
He argued that the party’s left wing did not represent Democrats as a whole. His victory means he will become Nevada’s first black governor.
