The Nevada GOP is in a frenzy as it attempts to pin Democratic gubernatorial nominee Aaron Ford as “soft on crime,” but as Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo touts his tough-on-crime record, his tenure tells another story.
It comes as PACs backing Lombardo are airing ads that claim he’s lowered crime by 16% in the Silver State—all thanks to his crime bill. In reality, however, crime was only down 6.96% in 2025—and his crime bill didn’t take effect until Jan. 1 of this year.
According to Nevada Crime Statistics, Clark County’s violent crime rates lowered every single year after Lombardo was no longer sheriff—and before his crime bill took effect. In 2023, violent crime decreased by 4.97%, then by 5.5% in 2024 and 6.96% in 2025.
Lombardo, who had to call a special session late last year to secure the passage of his crime bill, originally had his bill stall during the 2025 legislative session and it ultimately died before the session ended.
Has Lombardo delivered on his promises to state law enforcement?
Before Lombardo officially took the helm of Nevada’s top elected official, he campaigned on fixing state trooper vacancies. He called the lack of state troopers “a crisis,” and called for funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to be allocated to the Nevada State Police.
He criticized then-Gov. Steve Sisolak for not allocating funds to the state department.
“Steve Sisolak’s disregard for the Nevada State Police is egregious … Sisolak can’t be bothered to give them any attention, raises, or help,” Lombardo previously said. “As governor, I will immediately use remaining ARPA funds and our expected budget surplus to give state police officers signing and retention bonuses, while also ensuring that the patrolmen receive better wages next session.”
Lombardo did not direct ARPA funding to Nevada State Police after he was elected.
Despite calling for a raise on the campaign trail, Lombardo also vetoed increased take-home pay for state troopers and voted against the union’s collective bargaining agreement that would’ve provided pay raises for officers.
The state trooper shortage Lombardo campaigned on in 2022 has worsened under his leadership.
State trooper vacancies have sat at nearly 50% for those who patrol Nevada’s highways. Only three to four officers patrol the Las Vegas Valley overnight and state police had to stop patrolling Reno between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.
How does Lombardo’s sheriff record compare to GOP campaign attacks?
The Republican governor also restructured the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department as sheriff, which took officers away from investigating gang units. As a result, critics and political opponents pointed blame to Lombardo after Clark County saw a 67% spike in homicides during that period.
As election season ramps up, the Nevada GOP have pinned almost every Democrat down the ballot as “soft on crime.” Across the valley, Nevadans drive by black attack billboards that read “Soft-on crime Cannizzaro,”referencing to Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, who’s hoping to become Nevada’s next attorney general.
Similarly, Republicans have pushed Ford as a sympathizer to a pregnant woman’s killer. Ford, who sits on the state’s pardons board with Lombardo, has been scrutinized by the local and national GOP for sponsoring a clemency at the Sept. 16 meeting.
A PAC backing Lombardo has since run ads on the sponsorship, claiming Ford is “siding with the criminals” and “ignoring the victims.” Ford previously told The Nevadan after reviewing all the provided documents, he would have “unequivocally” voted no to support the sponsorship or any sentencing modification.
The political attacks come as Republicans are fighting to hold onto their seats amid the threat of a blue wave this election.
