Competitive 2026 Attorney General Race to Shape Nevada's Legal Future
The Nevada Attorney General, as chief legal officer, represents the state in court, enforces laws, protects consumers, and secures settlements. National polarization has rendered the office highly political, with partisan groups like the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) and Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) coordinating lawsuits against opposing administrations, advancing ideological agendas, and treating the role as a political launchpad.
Democratic Attorneys General filed over 130 multistate lawsuits against President Trump's first administration. In his second term, in the first year alone, they have launched dozens more, with Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) joining in at least 33 on behalf of Nevada, including challenges to the Department of Government Efficiency, Department of Education changes, immigration policies, and tariffs.
This irony stands out sharply in swing state Nevada, where voters backed Republican President Trump in 2024, yet their elected Democratic Attorney General, Ford, deploys substantial taxpayer resources to obstruct the very administration they supported, underscoring why these races profoundly influence state and national trajectories.
Term-limited after 2026, Ford leaves the Nevada Attorney General’s office as a controversial and partisan figure, accused of weaponizing the office against Republicans. Ford long pushed sanctuary policies, co-sponsoring legislation to limit cooperation with illegal-immigration enforcement, a move that risked millions in federal public safety funding. He also directed his office to defend and promote gender-affirming care for transgender youth, aligning with far-left causes amid heated national debates and federal restrictions.
The open Attorney General race in Nevada will be highly competitive in 2026. Republicans hold a slight voter registration edge, but nonpartisans dominate the state with 37% of the electorate, making it anyone's race. Democrats feature a fierce primary between State Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, a powerhouse fundraiser with strong institutional backing, and State Treasurer Zach Conine, who boasts an outstanding record of government effectiveness. Republicans feature Governor Lombardo-endorsed Adriana Guzmán Fralick, a Reno attorney with experience chairing the Cannabis Compliance Board, in government ethics, gaming regulation, and as general counsel to former Governor Jim Gibbons, against perennial candidate and Douglas County Commissioner Danny Tarkanian.
Although the governor’s race tops the ticket, this contest may prove most consequential for Nevada’s near future, potentially shifting the state’s legal and political trajectory amid ongoing national tensions.
