He’s hoping you don’t ask that question.
After months of mudslinging, conspiracy theories and increasingly-audacious displays of fealty to the former president, Joe Lombardo has emerged victorious in the Nevada gubernatorial race.
While Lombardo has indicated that he is likely to sprint to the middle and position himself as a moderate Republican, he is anything but. No moderate Republican gets Donald Trump’s endorsement, for one, and Lombardo has clearly decided to run on far-right, dangerous policies that would hurt Nevada’s economy, punish women and families, and fail to keep communities safe:
- LOMBARDO CAN’T BE TRUSTED TO PROTECT ABORTION RIGHTS: Abortion rights are incredibly popular in Nevada, where abortions are currently legal up to 24 weeks. Nearly 70 percent of Nevadans call themselves pro-choice. Throughout the primary, Lombardo tried his best to avoid answering questions about his anti-choice views but has repeatedly slipped up and shown his cards. He said in a debate he would “absolutely” consider restrictions on abortion access. He’s voiced support for a Nevada abortion ban. And he’s called himself pro-life over and over while refusing to say exactly how he would restrict rights as governor.
- LOMBARDO SUPPORTS THE FALSE CLAIM THAT THERE WAS FRAUD IN THE 2020 ELECTION: Lombardo questioned whether the 2020 election was conducted “fair and square” and that he doesn’t know if the results were accurate — despite there being no evidence of election-altering fraud in Nevada. Like other Republican politicians who want to make it harder for people to vote so they can rig elections in their own favor, Lombardo supports eliminating permanent universal mail-in voting.
- LOMBARDO WON’T KEEP NEVADANS SAFE FROM GUN VIOLENCE: Despite the fact that Las Vegas was the site of the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history — 58 people were killed and more than 500 people were injured — Lombardo has said he will refuse to sign any bill that could limit potential mass murderers’ access to guns as governor. Instead, he supports arming teachers and limiting the number of doors in schools — not that either measure would prevent a mass shooting like the one that devastated Las Vegas.
- LOMBARDO IS PLAGUED BY ETHICS SCANDALS: Lombardo is currently the subject of a lawsuit over improper email use and an ethics investigation over improper campaign imagery. The lawsuit specifically alleges that Lombardo improperly used his Las Vegas Police Department email while conducting campaign work in order to “improve his chances of winning office,” and the ethics hearing will continue to plague Lombardo throughout the race, as it is not set until 2023.
- LOMBARDO CALLS HIMSELF PRO-LAW ENFORCEMENT WHILE TREATING OFFICERS’ WIDOWS LIKE GARBAGE: As sheriff, Lombardo refused to recognize nearly half a dozen officer deaths by COVID as line-of-duty deaths while forcing sick police officers to come into work instead of taking medical leave. Then, according to one of the officers’ widows, he waited over two weeks to offer any condolences. This came after Lombardo pulled the widow’s health care the night her husband died, while she and the rest of her family had COVID. “How can he lead the entire state fairly if this is what he’s doing to his own officers?” asked another widow.
- LOMBARDO WANTS TO LEAVE CLARK COUNTY IN THE HANDS OF A SCANDAL-PLAGUED HOMOPHOBE: Homophobic police officer Kevin McMahill, Lombardo’s hand-picked choice to succeed him as Clark County Sheriff should he win the governor’s race, forced a woman to show him her genitalia and eat cocaine before he would release her from police custody. That’s who Lombardo trusts with the safety of Nevada families.
- LOMBARDO REPEATEDLY RESPONDS “I DON’T KNOW” WHEN ASKED SIMPLE POLICY QUESTIONS: Here’s how Lombardo responded to the following questions:
- Do you think Nevada schools at this moment are underfunded?
- Do you think that Nevada teachers are underpaid?
- If the legislature sends you a bill authorizing local governments to enact rent control policies, would you sign that and support it?
Published: Jun 15, 2022 | Last Modified: Aug 28, 2022