Joe Lombardo and Aaron Ford were declared winners of Nevada’s gubernatorial primaries Tuesday night, setting up a November matchup for governor.
Decision Desk HQ called Lombardo’s Republican race at 8:13 p.m. PT and AP followed at 8:35 p.m.; AP and DDHQ called Ford’s Democratic race around 8:45 p.m. PT.
Nevada closed all polls after the last voter cast a ballot, but close races can still shift because mail ballots postmarked by Election Day are accepted until June 13 and signature cures run through June 15.
About 324,000 early and mail ballots had been processed statewide before final election-night updates, with Democrats holding roughly a 5,000-ballot edge over Republicans; in Washoe County, Republicans led Democrats by about 1,300 ballots.
The nominations launch a closely watched general election in a battleground state where Lombardo’s bid for a second term is expected to face a competitive challenge from Ford.