Nevada’s election on Tuesday could reopen a path for proposals that Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo has repeatedly rejected, including prescription drug price limits and rent protections for older residents. If Attorney General Aaron Ford wins the governorship and Democrats retain their legislative majorities, the party would control both branches for the first time since January 2023. The RealClearPolling average puts both candidates at 42%.
Analysts expect Democrats to keep control of the Legislature. Ford has said he would sign several previously blocked measures within his first 30 days, including prescription drug price caps, universal free school meals and restrictions on corporate home purchases. Lombardo argues that his vetoes shielded residents from expensive mandates and warns that unified Democratic control would bring higher taxes. He issued a state record 87 vetoes in 2025.
Lawmakers revised several proposals after Lombardo rejected them in 2023, but failed to secure his approval in 2025. A prescription drug bill would have tied prices to Medicare maximums established under the federal Inflation Reduction Act. Lombardo argued that the later version could cost Medicaid millions in drug rebates and create legal uncertainty for providers. He also rejected funding for universal free school meals, with his office noting that about 87% of schools already offered meals free to every student.
Housing proposals faced similar resistance. Lombardo vetoed a 2023 measure limiting corporate investors to 1,000 home purchases annually. Sen. Dina Neal’s 2025 proposal lowered the ceiling to 100 but fell one vote short of the required Senate supermajority. Sparks Republican Sen. Ira Hansen voted against it and said Lombardo’s office had urged Republican senators to oppose it. Ford also supports targeted rent limits for seniors. Lombardo rejected both a 10% cap in 2023 and a revised 5% annual cap in a roughly yearlong pilot program in 2025.
Other potential returning measures cover health care, employment and tenant protections. Vetoed bills would have required most insurers, including Medicaid, to cover in vitro fertilization, established hospital nurse staffing ratios in Clark and Washoe counties, and limited medical debt collection. Another would have required employers with at least 50 workers to provide 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave annually. Tenant proposals addressed summary evictions, necessary repairs and automatic sealing of eviction cases.
Election and gun legislation could also return. Lombardo twice rejected restrictions on firearm possession by people convicted of hate crimes and weapons near polling locations. He again vetoed a prohibition on semiautomatic rifles and shotguns for people younger than 21. A bill criminalizing false presidential elector submissions also received another veto, despite Sparks Democratic Sen. Skip Daly reducing the proposed prison terms and removing a ban on holding public office.
A Ford victory would not automatically enact any rejected bill. Each would need to be introduced, debated and passed during the 120-day session beginning Feb. 1. Revenue legislation requires two-thirds support in each chamber. Democrats currently hold 13 of 21 Senate seats and 27 of 42 Assembly seats, one seat short of that threshold in both chambers.
Democratic disagreements, weaker revenue prospects and federal Medicaid changes could further constrain the agenda. Hospitals, business groups and landlords have opposed proposals affecting their industries. Drug price limits and the firearm age restriction also carry litigation risks.
Lombardo has presented himself as a counterweight to Democratic lawmakers and pledged no new taxes. His record also includes compromises: in 2025, he signed fuel tax indexing and urban heat mitigation measures similar to bills he vetoed in 2023.
