The Conspiracy Theory That Started It All
Jon Ralston, who runs a well-known Nevada political outlet, took to his personal social media feed recently with quite a theory.
He posted that Danielle Ford is running for governor as an independent and will be on the November ballot. Aaron Ford, the Democratic attorney general, may also be on the November ballot.
They share the same last name. And therefore, in Ralston's telling, Governor Joe Lombardo's team must have put Danielle up to it to siphon votes from Aaron.
“Amirite?” Ralston asked his followers.
Danielle Ford is running for gov as an indie and will be on the Nov. ballot.
Aaron Ford, who may also be on the Nov. ballot as a Dem, has the same last name. I think Team Lombardo put Danielle up to this to siphon votes from Aaron!
Amirite?
You can use info, but must credit. https://t.co/CKUmylmY2c
— Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) March 12, 2026
That is some impressive conspiracy theorizing from a man who bills himself as a serious journalist. Danielle Ford had a few things to say about that.
Ford Responds: “I Didn't Spawn Out of Nowhere”
Ford is not some mystery figure who parachuted into Nevada politics last week. She won a seat on the Clark County School District Board of Trustees in 2018. She is running as an independent candidate for governor in 2026.
Ford went straight to Ralston's premise. She is a real candidate with real credentials. Yet here was a Nevada journalist suggesting she is a puppet.
“Jon thinks that even though I am experienced in campaigns, elections, and being a public servant, Jon thinks that this time that I'm running, I'm actually running as a fake candidate,” Ford said.
“Oh the level to which I am not in the mood for BS like this” (part 1) pic.twitter.com/0BJz6dcxqK
— Danielle Ford 💙📚 (@TrusteeFord) March 13, 2026
She also challenged Ralston's logic about voter confusion. If voters know their candidates, and many Nevada voters do, there is no reason to assume they would mistake an independent woman named Danielle Ford for the Democratic attorney general. The theory, Ford argued, treats voters like they cannot read a ballot.
Then came what many will see as her sharpest point. Ralston runs an outlet that sells itself on political independence. Yet his theory assumes there are only two real options in the governor's race.
“It kind of appears that Jon thinks that there's only two options for governor and that it's both of the chosen anointed ones from their respective political parties,” Ford said.
“And even though Jon's whole thing is about independence, nowhere in his line of thought or reasoning does he consider that maybe voters want to vote for who they want and that they actually might be selecting me, somebody who's an independent.”
That is a direct hit. An outlet that champions independence should at least entertain the idea that an independent candidate might be running because voters want one, not because a party put her up to it.
She continued:
“I thought this was an interesting take for Jon to care enough about to put on his personal feed because it gives the impression that I just kind of like spawned out of nowhere,” Ford said.
“And it kind of implies that I might have the intent to try to cheat in elections.”
A Journalist Who Should Know Better
When someone with Ralston's platform plants a conspiracy theory, it spreads. And Ralston did not stop at vague suspicion. He specifically named “Team Lombardo” as the culprit, creating a suspect out of thin air with no evidence offered.
“I usually do not give any energy to mediocre dudes who run their mouth about me online,” she said.
“But I wanted to address this because it appears that there's people that are already thinking that that is true — and actually, why wouldn't they think that? This is a person who's supposed to be a reputable source of news.”
A journalist with Ralston's reach does not get to float an accusation against a sitting governor's campaign and dress it up as folksy social media banter. Ford was right to call it out by name.
What to Watch
The Nevada primary is June 9, 2026, with the general election on November 3. The governor's race is shaping up to be competitive. Polling from October 2025 showed Lombardo leading Aaron Ford 40 to 37 percent, with 23 percent of voters still undecided.
A pool that large means there is real room for an independent voice in this race.
Danielle Ford is unlikely to win the governorship. But independent candidates in tight races can influence outcomes. She is a real candidate with real credentials, and she handled a bad-faith attack from a local journalist with more composure than most.
And Jon Ralston might want to stick to reporting the news.
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.
