LAS VEGAS — Republican Joe Lombardo will become Nevada’s next governor, making the unconventional leap from county sheriff to the state’s top executive office after unseating first-term Democrat Gov. Steve Sisolak by a razor-thin margin.
Sisolak, 68, who was Nevada’s first Democratic governor in nearly two decades, announced Friday afternoon that he had conceded the race and reached out to Lombardo to “wish him success.”
“While votes are still coming in – and we need every ballot tallied and every voice heard – it appears we will fall a percentage point or so short of winning,” Sisolak said in a statement. “Obviously that is not the outcome I want, but I believe in our election system, in democracy and honoring the will of Nevada voters. So whether you voted for me or Sheriff Lombardo, it is important that we now come together to continue moving the state forward.”
Sisolak needed the Democrat-leaning mail-in ballots to close the gap that Lombardo had built on Election Day, a scenario that played out in the Nevada’s races for U.S. Senate, secretary of state and treasurer. But Sisolak’s overall share of the vote trailed the Democrats in those races, while Lombardo ran better than many of the more conservative Republicans on the statewide ballot, a difference that was just enough for Lombardo to hold on for the victory.
The race was largely defined by a handful of key issues, namely inflation, abortion rights and crime, with Lombardo and Republicans railing against Sisolak on rising costs, gas prices and the governor’s response to COVID-19, which included the mandated shutdowns of business and prolonged restrictions.
Lombardo, the 62-year-old lawman who has served two terms as sheriff of Nevada’s most populous county, promised on the trail to repeal what he calls “soft on crime” legislation that Democrats have passed under Sisolak, specifically a 2019 criminal justice reform bill that sought to reduce the rate at which people return to prison, a bill that passed with bipartisan support.
Lombardo’s bid for the governor’s mansion survived an onslaught of attacks from Democrats and progressive groups over his stances and statements on abortion rights, which morphed and shifted more toward the middle after veering more conservative during a competitive and crowded Republican primary. He also had to fight his way out of a contentious Republican primary against a crowded field, including Reno attorney Joey Gilbert who questioned the primary results in court before finally endorsing Lombardo.
Sisolak has spent more than 20 years in elected office in Nevada. His four years as governor have been largely overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which first gripped the Silver State 15 months into Sisolak’s term. His response to the pandemic — and especially his decision to shutter businesses as the outbreak spread — became one of the Republicans’ main campaign attacks throughout the election cycle.
“We’ve been through a lot these last four years, from a once-in-a-century pandemic to the stresses and strains of global inflation. I know it has been a challenge for many of you and I couldn’t be prouder of how this state has worked to get us to a better day,” Sisolak said in his concession statement. “I also am proud that we made the tough decisions during COVID that helped save an estimated 30,000 Nevada lives even if those decisions sometimes had tough political ramifications.”
“Over the remainder of my term I will continue working hard on behalf of Nevada. You deserve no less. And upon leaving office, I will work in every way I can to make Nevada stronger,” he added.
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