Joe Lombardo cruises past six GOP challengers to secure Nevada Republican gubernatorial nomination

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo secured the Republican nomination for a second term Tuesday, defeating six GOP challengers and advancing to the general election as Democrats vie for the chance to reclaim the governor’s mansion in November.

The first-term governor entered the primary as the overwhelming favorite. Lombardo, a former Clark County sheriff, was elected governor in 2022 when he defeated Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak, becoming the only Republican challenger to unseat an incumbent Democratic governor that year.

He now heads into the general election against the Democratic nominee, who will emerge from a primary field that includes state Attorney General Aaron Ford and Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill.

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Lombardo defeated a field of mostly lesser-known Republican challengers that included Donald Beaudry Jr., Irina Hansen, Kameron Hawkins, Matthew Winterhawk, Jose Zelaya and Barak Zilberberg.

Beaudry Jr., a financial engineer, is a hedge fund manager and founder of an artificial intelligence company. He campaigned on his private-sector experience.

Hansen, a realtor and small-business owner who previously ran for mayor of Las Vegas, positioned herself as an outsider candidate challenging the political establishment. Winterhawk, a businessman and nonprofit founder, entered the race as a political newcomer and also promoted himself as an alternative to Nevada’s political establishment.

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Hawkins, a Navy veteran, publisher and conservative activist, previously sought the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor of Nevada in 2022.

Zelaya, a real estate investor who also sought a bid in the GOP race in 2022, maintained a relatively low public profile throughout the campaign and released limited information about his candidacy.

The race for the governor’s mansion in Nevada is among the most closely watched gubernatorial contests of the 2026 midterm election cycle. The winner in the key swing state could gain national prominence ahead of the 2028 presidential election and help shape their party’s political strategy in Nevada.

It also comes as Democrats try to flip back the mansion after losing it in 2022.

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With no U.S. Senate race on Nevada’s ballot this cycle, the governor’s race has served as the state’s marquee contest and the primary driver of campaign advertising spending.

Beyond the gubernatorial race, Nevada voters also weighed in on primaries for U.S. House seats and a variety of state offices, while voters in Henderson, Nevada’s second-largest city, cast ballots in the city’s mayoral election.