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Nevada Republicans Target Gavin Newsom in 2028 Bid
Confirmed
In Short: Nevada Republicans are using Gavin Newsom’s 2028 presidential ambitions as a central theme in their campaign against Attorney General Aaron Ford.
California Republicans are leveraging Gavin Newsom’s 2028 presidential aspirations to challenge Attorney General Aaron Ford in Nevada. According to reports, Ford’s campaign has emphasized the contrast between Newsom’s policies and those he is trying to import to Nevada. Joe Lombardo, running for reelection, has made the connection explicit, framing Newsom as a warning rather than a role model.
Newsom’s endorsement of Ford early in the cycle and his subsequent summer swing in Las Vegas to raise funds and rally volunteers have been central to Ford’s campaign strategy. Billboards across the Las Vegas Valley feature Ford alongside Newsom, with the message that the California governor has endorsed the attorney general. Lombardo’s campaign has spent months ensuring voters see the connection, with the Better Nevada PAC actively promoting this narrative.
Newsom’s visit to North Las Vegas was treated as a 2028 preview, with the crowd responding positively. Ford introduced Newsom at the event, saying, 'the governor of the great state of California.' This visit underscored the potential for Newsom to seek Nevada’s support in his presidential bid, given that one-fifth of Nevada’s population was born in California.
Jeremy Hughes, a longtime Nevada GOP strategist, emphasized the unpopularity of Newsom in Nevada, stating, 'Gavin Newsom is the singular most unpopular elected official in Nevada.' Lombardo’s campaign has leaned on the same coastal network that funds Newsom-aligned politics, further highlighting the potential for this to be a test run for 2028. Newsom’s office declined to comment on these allegations.
Politico reports that Newsom’s endorsement is now the second-most-known fact about Ford’s campaign, with internal polling showing it as a significant factor. Ford’s campaign is betting that this will turn off Nevada swing voters, who are concerned about high fuel prices, many of which are imported from California. Lombardo is hammering Ford for accepting Newsom’s endorsement, hoping to capitalize on the unpopularity of the California governor.
What's confirmed
- PAC officials have said Newsom is among the least popular elected officials in Nevada and that Ford invited the association by bringing him into the state.
- Lombardo has made the contrast explicit: he says he is fighting Newsom’s agenda while Ford is trying to import it.
- Globe reporting in July identified maximum contributions from Soros family members to Ford’s gubernatorial account after Newsom’s public endorsement.
What's still developing
- When Jerry Brown began his second stint as governor in 2011, the pension fund and the worker compensation system were financial basket cases, and he did what was necessary to reform them.
- Gavin Newsom’s desk: a measure to increase pensions for public safety workers that could cost state and local government budgets — which are already leaking red ink — many additional billions of dollars.
- A person familiar with the PAC’s internal polling, granted anonymity to discuss private data, said it shows Newsom ’s endorsement is now the second-most-known datapoint about the attorney general.
- This could be a test run for 2028, when Newsom may call upon Nevadans — one-fifth of whom were born in California — to deliver him a primary victory in the early-voting state, and possibly a presidential victory.
- “They also understand that California is the fourth-largest economy in the entire world, and that Gavin Newsom ran that as effectively as he possibly can.” Newsom’s office declined to comment.