Aaron Ford is like a doctor whose treatment plan for a patient with a broken arm is breaking her legs.
In less than 100 days, Nevada voters will decide whether to re-elect Gov. Joe Lombardo or replace him with Ford, Nevada’s current attorney general. Ford is campaigning on affordability.
“Nevadans can’t afford groceries, gas, and rent,” Ford wrote on X Thursday.
Politically, this is a smart move by Ford. For one, it draws attention away from his extreme and unpopular positions. Ford supports soft-on-crimes policies, protecting illegal immigrants convicted of crimes and boys in girls’ sports. When asked about Lombardo’s ballot measure to protect girls’ sports, Ford claimed not to personally “support trans athletes competing in sports opposite their gender assigned at birth.” But as attorney general in 2023, Ford had Nevada join an amicus brief that sought to help biological boys “participate on their school’s girls’ sports teams.”
That’s not a popular position, which explains Ford’s unconvincing flip-flop.
Ford hopes to avoid talking about those issues — and his love of lobbyist-funded junkets — by focusing on how much things cost and blaming Lombardo. And everyone would like prices to be lower.
But identifying a real concern doesn’t mean you have workable solutions. In this case, many of Ford’s policy proposals would increase prices.
Union giveaways are a major theme in Ford’s proposals. He wants to repeal Nevada’s right to work law. He’s in favor of “graduate student workers’ right to organize and collectively bargain.” He supports “Project Labor Agreements” on energy projects.
These plans would benefit some. Now think about where the money for these higher wages would come from — higher costs. Instead of protecting the free market, Ford wants the government to pick winners and losers.
Energy costs, especially gas prices, are a major concern. Fallout from the Iran war has increased prices at the pump. But Nevada’s governor doesn’t have a veto on President Donald Trump’s foreign policy. That’s a federal issue.
Nevada gets around 88 percent of its gas from California. Lombardo has pushed back against California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s moves that have raised gas prices. Lombardo created a Fuel Resiliency Committee to find ways to bring more fuel into Nevada. Ford has campaigned with Newsom, who previously pushed a 2035 ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars. I asked Ford’s office if Ford supported banning gas-powered cars. No response.
Then there’s the spending. Ford wants to lavish money on new initiatives in health care, housing and education. That includes “increasing Nevada’s education funding to ensure that Nevada’s per-pupil education funding meets or exceeds the national average.” Realistically, if Ford wanted to do that, he’d need to raise taxes — substantially.
Months ago, I asked Ford’s office if he would veto any tax increase. No response. In contrast, Lombardo has committed to opposing new taxes.
Many of Ford’s ideas have been tried for years in Newsom’s California. If you want to know how they work, just ask the Californians who’ve moved to Nevada to escape the high cost of living.
Victor Joecks’ column appears in the Opinion section each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.
