Poll finds teachers favor Ford over Lombardo

A new poll shows that teachers in Clark County prefer Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford over Republican Governor Joe Lombardo. The survey found 52% of local educators favor Ford, while 32% support Lombardo. Statewide, the gap is even wider, with 54% of teachers backing Ford and 31% backing Lombardo.

The Clark County Education Association endorsed Lombardo in November 2025. Its political action committee, Strategic Horizons, has spent approximately $2 million on advertising to support his reelection bid. State campaign finance reports also show the PAC contributed $220,000 to the GSD PAC, a group associated with Republicans. The money comes from union treasury transfers and major organizational contributions rather than voluntary payroll deductions.

Survey 160 conducted the poll on Oct. 14 and 15. It surveyed 359 teachers who said they planned to vote in the governor's race. Independent candidate Danielle Ford received 10% support, and 4% remained undecided. The margin of error is plus or minus 6.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

Strategic Horizons ran a video ad showing Lombardo at a rally surrounded by people wearing CCEA shirts. The union posted the video on X with the caption, “A vote for Joe is a vote for Educators!” In a separate post, the CCEA criticized Ford’s plan to raise per-pupil funding to the national average. The post argued Ford lacks a clear funding plan and is supported by groups that would raise property and sales taxes.

Ruben Murillo, a past president of the CCEA and current officer of Strong Public Schools Nevada, issued a statement criticizing the union's messaging. He said CCEA was speaking over its members. Murillo noted that most teachers understand Ford would be better for schools and students. Chris Giunchigliani, a retired teacher and former CCEA president, also voiced criticism in a statement.

Giunchigliani suggested the union should have asked teachers who they supported before spending millions of member dollars. She stated the poll confirms that most teachers do not support Lombardo. She added that their union should not either. The poll was commissioned by Strong Public Schools Nevada, the political arm of the Nevada State Education Association.