GOP Gov. Joe Lombardo funded candidates tied to racist remarks

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo endorsed and financially supported state legislature candidates who made racist and bigoted remarks.

Lombardo, a Republican, was narrowly elected in 2022. He is expected to seek reelection in 2026.

Since taking office, much of Lombardo’s legislative agenda has been blocked by Democratic majorities in the Nevada House and Senate. Democrats in both chambers were on the cusp of winning veto-proof majorities in 2024. This dynamic prompted multiple PACs tied to Lombardo to spend millions of dollars boosting his preferred candidates, including in Republican primaries.

One such candidate was incumbent Rep. P.K. O’Neill in state assembly District 40. Lombardo hosted a fundraiser for O’Neill in May. The cheapest ticket was $250, the most expensive was $2,500.

O’Neill made waves in August when he said that Democratic efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) were “stupid.” He added that Lombardo’s ability to veto such bills was why it was crucial to deny Democrats a larger majority.

“The bills vetoed … were bad legislation,” O’Neill said. “They were bad for you, they were bad for Nevada. Some of them were things such as rent control, more D.E.I. – diversity, equity, inclusion, which I really think should be spelled DIE.”

O’Neill won reelection.

Another incumbent benefitting from Lombardo’s largesse was state Sen. Carrie Ann Buck in District 5.

In September, Buck was accused of antisemitism when she made two social media posts criticizing Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats. Both posts expressed disbelief that Jewish voters would support any candidate who did not back specific pro-Israel policies.

“Trump has consistently backed Israel!” Buck wrote. “He has Jewish children & grandchildren. His largest donor(s) are of the Jewish faith.  Harris backs Palestine in statement after pager incident. Biden/Harris send tax dollars to Iran. So again, how do Jewish Americans vote for Harris?”

In April 2023, Buck compared legal abortion to the Holocaust.

Arguably Lombardo’s most controversial endorsement was Brandon Davis in state assembly district 34. Davis lost his race to Democrat Hanadi Nadeem.

Nadeem is a practicing Muslim. In September, Davis launched a website featuring a black and white photo of Nadeem wearing a hijab with text accusing her of supporting the Taliban. The basis for this false claim was a social media post in which Nadeem was complimentary to a former prime minister of Pakistan.

Multiple officials, including U.S. Sen. Catherin Cortez Masto, said the site was xenophobic and Islamophobic. Several news outlets reached out to Lombardo to get his opinion on the site. He did not provide a response.

Lombardo also backed state senate candidate John Ellison, who once claimed he couldn’t be racist because he employed “colored people.” 

Lombardo supported controversial candidates for federal office as well.

In November, he threw his weight behind former North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee who was challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Steven Holsford. HuffPost reported in September that Lee mocked Horsford for being the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

“They made him chair of the Black Caucus. Whoop-de-doo,” Lee said. “I’m from North Las Vegas. I’m not worried about Black people. You know?”

Lee went on to describe the Congressional Black Caucus as the “most racist people in the world.” 

While Lee and some of Lombardo’s other chosen candidates their races, his investments appear to have paid off. Democrats maintained their majorities in the Nevada legislature but fell short of securing the veto-proof threshold.

A Lombardo spokesperson did not respond to questions for this story.