Ford dodges his own primary challenger — so will he take on Lombardo?
You know things are getting interesting when even a Democrat is calling out Aaron Ford.
Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill is running against Ford in the Democratic primary for governor. And she’s been trying to get the man to debate her for months.
She’s asked privately. She’s asked publicly. She’s asked through media outlets. She even set a specific date — May 14 — and said she’ll show up whether he does or not.
Ford’s answer? Silence.
That’s not a small thing. That’s a big, flashing red light.
Why this matters
Debates are how voters find out what candidates really believe. They’re where politicians have to answer tough questions in real time, without a prepared script and a friendly crowd.
They’ve been part of American democracy forever.
Hill put it plainly in her challenge:
“I’m not afraid to engage in this time-honored tradition.”
Ford’s response to months of debate requests has been just as plain:
“What I have learned is that talking directly to voters is the best way to get the word out. I’m going to continue doing that. She can continue doing that as well, and that’s where we’re going to leave it.”
Translation? No thanks.
What Ford is hiding from
A Las Vegas Review-Journal analysis found that Ford spent approximately 137 days out of state in 2024 alone — more than a third of the year. Meanwhile, Governor Lombardo traveled out of state about 30 days that same year. Ford’s trips included Macau, Singapore, Normandy, Tulum, and Taipei, with a combined value of $35,000.
That’s a lot of explaining to do.
A review panel from the Nevada Commission on Ethics agreed to advance a complaint against Ford, accusing him of using his position to benefit his private interests by accepting more than $35,000 in trips from the Attorney General Alliance, which is largely funded by corporations subject to regulation or litigation before his office.
A debate would force him to answer for all of that. In public. On camera. With a follow-up question. No wonder he’d rather be somewhere else.
The money tells a story too
Ford raised nearly $1.5 million in the first quarter of 2026 — the most ever raised by a non-incumbent gubernatorial candidate in the first three months of a fundraising cycle in Nevada history. Hill, by comparison, had about $306,000 on hand.
Ford is leaning on the money advantage and the backing of the entire Democratic establishment to avoid facing his opponent in a debate.
But money doesn’t make you a good governor. And avoiding accountability doesn’t mean you don’t have anything to answer for. It usually means you do.
Lombardo showed up. Ford won’t.
Here’s something worth thinking about. Just last month, Governor Lombardo sat down for a 90-minute on-camera interview with a Nevada media outlet.
He answered questions on tariffs, elections, the Boring Company, schools, transgender sports — the works. Nothing was off limits.
Nevada Democrats immediately grabbed clips from that interview and used them to attack him in a campaign series they called “5 Days, 5 Ways Lombardo is Out of Touch.”
Think about that for a second. Lombardo walked into a room he knew wouldn’t be friendly, took every question thrown at him, and came out the other side. Democrats used his own words against him — because he dared to actually say something.
What about Lombardo in the fall?
Here’s the bigger question. If Ford won’t debate a primary challenger, what happens when he has to face Governor Lombardo in November?
When asked directly about debating Lombardo, Ford said only:
“Like I said, right now we’re going to focus on getting our word right out to Nevadans.”
That’s not an answer. That’s a dodge wrapped in a talking point.
Lombardo has a record he’s willing to defend. He shows up. He takes the hard questions. Ford, meanwhile, can’t manage a single debate with someone from his own party. Imagine what his schedule looks like when the stakes are even higher.
Why conservatives should care
This is a preview of what a Governor Ford would look like. A man who won’t answer questions from a member of his own party isn’t going to suddenly become transparent in the Governor’s Mansion.
The Lombardo campaign has already sized up both Democrats:
“Aaron Ford and Alexis Hill have each released California-style policies that will increase reliance on the government, increase taxes, harm small businesses, and increase the cost of living for every Nevadan.”
Lombardo isn’t wrong, and he’s not hiding.
What you can do
Watch what happens on May 14. Hill says she’ll be there. If Ford doesn’t show, that tells you everything.
Nevada voters of all stripes deserve to see candidates defend their records in public. A candidate who won’t debate a fellow Democrat almost certainly won’t debate a governor who has been outworking him from day one.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
