When Gov. Joe Lombardo announced his intention to run for re-election last year, it didn’t take long for President Trump to chime in and give the incumbent his ringing endorsement. In one of his signature Truth Social posts, the president praised Lombardo, calling him smart, strong, and tough. He also listed some things where the two administrations saw eye to eye. Things such as cutting taxes and regulations, championing school choice, securing the border, and stopping migrant crime.
And why shouldn’t Trump want to keep Lombardo in office? In Lombardo, he’s found someone who is willing to help his conservative agenda.
Just before the new year, Lombardo’s office published a comprehensive list of the administration’s major accomplishments. The list included more than 40 bullet points, including several issues that Trump has talked about in the past, such as:
• Signing a historic data-sharing agreement with BLM Nevada to identify potential federal land for development.
• Authorizing a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Department of Justice affirming Nevada’s compliance with federal immigration enforcement.
• Rebuking the attorney general’s proposed pro-sanctuary state Model Immigration Policies, and directing all affected state agencies to comply with — and enforce — all applicable federal law.
• Authorizing the employment of a small contingent of Nevada National Guardsmen and women to respond to a federal request for assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
• Cutting or streamlining more than 900 state regulations.
However, much of Lombardo’s more conservative agenda has so far stalled because of the Democratic-led Legislature. Yet, even then, his administration is starting to look for other venues to implement policy.
In 2024, frustrated by Democrats blocking any attempt to implement voter ID rules, Lombardo and his team took the issue to Nevadans. His proposed amendment requiring voters to show an ID before casting a ballot appears poised to become law later this year.
And now, Lombardo is looking to duplicate his success by placing an initiative on the ballot to ban trans athletes from playing in girls’ and women’s sports. President Trump signed an executive order in February of last year that would do the same.
Does that mean the two administrations are in lockstep? Absolutely not. But it’s sometimes hard to see the daylight.
