On January 7, 2019, the very first thing Governor Steve Sisolak did after being sworn into office was sign an executive order creating Nevada’s new Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Task Force. He put newly sworn-in Attorney General Aaron Ford in charge of it.
Ford’s own words that day:
“Every employee deserves to work in a safe environment, free from sexual harassment and discrimination. I am proud to uphold my promise to work toward preventing and eliminating workplace sexual harassment.”
It was a powerful moment. Ford positioned himself as Nevada’s champion for women in the workplace. He’s been trading on that image ever since.
But there’s a problem. The record behind that image doesn’t hold up nearly as well as the press release.
What Ford Actually Did
Before Ford became the man tasked with protecting Nevada women from harassment, he was the Nevada Senate’s Democratic leader — and he had a problem sitting right in his own caucus.
State Senator Mark Manendo had a well-known reputation in Carson City. Women had been warned to keep their distance from him for years. Complaints about his behavior had surfaced as far back as 2003. Women working at the Legislature — staff, lobbyists, and journalists alike — had routinely been told to keep their distance from the longtime lawmaker.
Ford himself acknowledged in a late 2017 interview that he had heard rumors “swirled about” that Manendo had engaged in “activities in the past.”
Yet, when he became Senate Democratic leader, he made Manendo a committee chairman anyway. He kept him there. He accepted a $5,000 donation from Manendo’s political account.
It wasn’t until women came forward directly in 2017 that Ford finally acted. Critics noted that Ford didn’t even remove Manendo from the Senate Democratic Caucus.
“Ford coddled this guy all session long and then he did the bare minimum to create the appearance that he actually cared about doing something,” said Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson at the time.
When the independent investigation was finally completed, the findings were damning. Investigators concluded that Manendo violated the Legislature’s anti-harassment policy, had engaged in multiple and repeated instances of inappropriate, offensive, and unacceptable behavior toward female staffers and lobbyists, and had attempted to interfere with the investigation itself — pressuring a witness to change her testimony.
Manendo resigned in July 2017.
Two years later, Ford was handed the keys to Nevada’s new sexual harassment task force.
Then Came the Swalwell Check
Fast forward to December 2022. Public campaign finance records show that Eric Swalwell contributed $1,000 to Aaron Ford’s re-election campaign. Ford was the only Nevada politician to receive a contribution from Swalwell that cycle, despite the congressman having no apparent prior political or personal ties to the state.
This week, Swalwell resigned from Congress in disgrace. His resignation followed allegations of sexual assault and misconduct made by multiple women, including former staffers. More than 50 former staffers called for him to resign. The House Ethics Committee opened a formal investigation.
Multiple district attorneys have opened criminal investigations.
The Swalwell donation came nearly two years after his ties to suspected Chinese intelligence operative Christine Fang, commonly referred to as ‘Fang Fang,’ had been publicly exposed. Ford took the money anyway.
Has Ford said anything about it since the scandal broke? Ford’s office and campaign did not respond to requests for comment from the California Globe.
Democrats nationwide rushed to return Swalwell’s money. More than a dozen Democrats donated the equivalent amounts to charities supporting sexual assault victims within days of the news breaking.
Ford has done nothing.
The Men Around Ford
The Swalwell situation doesn’t exist in isolation. Look at who else is in Ford’s corner.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is Ford’s most prominent outside backer. Newsom has jumped in with joint fundraising emails and personal trips to Las Vegas to support Ford’s gubernatorial campaign.
What many Nevadans may not know is that back in 2007, when Newsom was San Francisco’s mayor, he admitted to having an affair with his appointments secretary — a subordinate on his own staff — while he was married. He publicly announced he would seek alcohol counseling.
More than a decade later, he admitted he never actually attended a formal rehabilitation program.
“There’s no rehab. I just stopped,” he told the Sacramento Bee.
Then there’s Nevada’s own Congressman Steven Horsford, who has endorsed Ford for governor.
In 2020, Horsford acknowledged a years-long extramarital affair with a woman who was 21 years old and working as an intern when they first met in 2009, while he was the majority leader of the Nevada State Senate.
Horsford’s wife publicly stated she would not be silent about his decade-long affair, saying she wanted to live:
“free of lies, manipulation, and unbridled ambition.”
Horsford did not resign. He continues to serve in Congress, and he’s backing Ford.
Horsford didn’t just endorse Ford — he took the stage at Ford’s official campaign launch in July 2025 to personally introduce him.
The Question Nevada Voters Should Ask
To be clear — Aaron Ford has not been accused of personal sexual misconduct. That’s not the argument here.
The argument is simpler than that. A man who built his political brand on protecting women from powerful men has a complicated history of actually doing it. He kept Mark Manendo in a position of power while complaints circulated. He took Eric Swalwell’s money and has nothing to say about it now. His biggest outside backer had an affair with his own subordinate and lied about seeking help. His Nevada colleague and endorser carried on a secret decade-long affair with a young intern.
Ford wants to be Nevada’s governor. He wants voters to trust his judgment — about policy, about people, about what matters.
The governor’s race is competitive. Every issue counts. Every question deserves an answer.
Ford’s silence on this one speaks louder than any campaign speech.
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.
