Laxalt leads GOP Senate primary, Lombardo up in gubernatorial primary: Nevada poll

Former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt has a substantial lead in the state’s GOP Senate primary, while Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo leads in the Republican gubernatorial primary, according to a new The Hill-Emerson College poll released Wednesday.

Laxalt, who is endorsed by former President Trump and much of the GOP establishment, holds a substantial lead, garnering just over 50 percent support among likely primary voters. Army combat veteran Sam Brown comes in a distant second with 27 percent, and no other candidate breaks double digits. Another 15 percent of voters say they’re undecided.

Laxalt is running for the chance to challenge first-term Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D).

Cortez Masto was first elected in 2016 and is viewed as one of the nation’s most vulnerable Senate incumbents. The political atmosphere this year is anticipated to favor Republicans, and Nevada is already extremely narrowly divided between the two major parties.

Then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won the state by about 2 points in 2016, and President Biden won it by roughly the same margin in 2020.

Cortez Masto’s Senate race is anticipated to be extraordinarily expensive, with Senate Republicans’ main super PAC investing $15 million in the state for ads. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats’ campaign arm is reserving $8.4 million in Nevada.

In the gubernatorial race, Lombardo has a double-digit lead, garnering 33 percent support among likely primary voters. Former boxer Joey Gilbert came in second with 14 percent, and former Sen. Dean Heller (R) rounded out the top three with 11 percent. A whopping 25 percent of likely primary voters are undecided.

The candidates are running for the chance to unseat first-term Gov. Steve Sisolak (D).

Trump endorsed Lombardo last week in what is expected to be one of the most competitive gubernatorial races in the country, calling him “the leader Nevada needs.”

Still, Sisolak boasts a hefty financial advantage, finishing the first quarter with nearly $10 million on hand compared to $3 million for Lombardo.

The Hill-Emerson College poll surveyed 1,000 likely GOP primary voters from April 28-May 2 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.