Nevada governor's race in deadlock: poll has Lombardo 42% vs. Ford 40%, prediction market flips to Ford, data centers emerge as decisive issue
With less than a month to the Nov. 3 election, Nevada's governor's race is locked in a dead heat. According to the Reno Gazette Journal, citing the latest Nevada Public Opinion Pulse poll — an online survey of 800 registered voters and 708 likely voters conducted Sept. 22-26 by Noble Predictive Insights — Republican incumbent Gov. Joe Lombardo leads Democratic challenger and current Attorney General Aaron Ford 42 percent to 40 percent, within the margin of error. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race a 'toss up.'
Prediction markets have also shifted: on Polymarket, Lombardo had led with 51 percent implied odds since Sept. 24, but Ford flipped the race over the past 48 hours and now leads with a 55 percent chance of winning.
Data centers are emerging as the decisive issue. On Aug. 31, Lombardo signed an agreement with the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council enrolling Nevada in the FAST-41 federal fast-track permitting process, which could speed data center construction on federal land. 'This agreement will help Nevada cut through unnecessary delays, improve coordination with our federal partners, and move critical projects forward,' Lombardo said at the time. 'By making the permitting process more efficient and predictable, we can support responsible growth, strengthen our economy, and deliver results for Nevadans.' But a Sept. 10 Emerson College poll found 59 percent of likely Nevada voters oppose data center construction near them.
Ford is Nevada's current attorney general and a former majority leader of the state Senate. In the campaign, Lombardo's camp has attacked Ford's clemency votes on the state pardon board for violent offenders, while Ford's camp leans on his record as a prosecutor. Notably, Nevada's governor cannot unilaterally grant pardons; those decisions rest with the Board of Pardons Commissioners, made up of the governor, the attorney general and Nevada Supreme Court justices. Lombardo previously served as sheriff of Clark County. The same poll showed Democratic candidates leading Republicans by 1 to 8 points in the races for lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, controller and attorney general. Reported by the Reno Gazette Journal, Action Network and others.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 内华达州议会大厦（卡森城），CC0（Wikimedia Commons）
