GOP insiders fear purple state loss would signal they 'lost pretty much everywhere else'

Republicans see governor's race in a western swing state as a warning light for the whole party.

Politico Playbook reported Wednesday that some Republicans said a loss by Gov. Joe Lombardo in Nevada would probably mean the GOP has lost "pretty much everywhere else."

Lombardo is running for a second term against Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford, and polling has mostly shown the race anywhere from tied to slightly in the Republican's favor. Nevada Democrats privately concede that the Republican incumbent has kept a political identity separate from President Donald Trump.

Democrats see a chance to win anyway, and the party's possible 2028 presidential candidates are pouring in money and time. Playbook reported that they have given or raised more than $1 million to help Ford, much of it over the past month:

• Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker gave $400,000 to a PAC affiliated with the Democratic Governors Association.
• Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's PAC donated $250,000.
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom raised more than $160,000.
• Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro pledged to raise $100,000.
• Maryland Gov. Wes Moore campaigned in Las Vegas last weekend.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and others are expected in the state in the coming weeks. Former Vice President Kamala Harris will host a Ford fundraiser next week.

"We're talking about states that we weren't 18 months ago," said Democratic consultant Emmy Ruiz, a former Biden White House political director. But "Nevada is an incredibly difficult state that you have to fight for."

Nevada votes second in the Democrats' presidential nominating calendar and will be a key battleground in 2028.

Ford has had damaging headlines of his own. He sponsored a pardon board application for a man convicted of killing a pregnant woman, though he has said he would have voted against clemency.