Republican Joe Lombardo, the popular Clark County sheriff, will defeat Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak after he argued that he did not do enough to get the economy moving after the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.   

  Nevada has been a battleground state since the early 1990s, but Joe Biden narrowly won the Silver State in 2020 despite a significant push by Donald Trump, particularly in rural Nevada.  Democrats have made gains in competitive races in recent years based, in part, on the turnout of working-class and Latino voters, two key constituencies in a state that depends heavily on tourism as well as the hospitality and service industries. .   

  But those two blocs of voters have been among the hardest hit by the economic downturn during the pandemic, which sent unemployment in Nevada soaring to 30 percent in April 2020 — the highest in the nation and more than double the unemployment rate of USA at the time.  Then state workers faced a double whammy as inflation rose and gas prices topped $5 a gallon in a state where many people must drive long distances to work.   

  This created a particularly sour mood among voters as Sisolak began his re-election campaign.  Although the Democratic governor has championed recovery in the state’s labor market, Lombardo argued that Sisolak was painting a distorted picture of Nevadans’ economic struggles because many Nevadans are still underemployed, he said.  Lombardo also accused Sisolak of crushing businesses in the state with Covid-19 restrictions and burdensome regulations.  He said Sisolak took too long to reopen schools and businesses, slowing the state’s recovery.  But the Democratic governor pushed back, saying his primary goal was to “save lives.”   

  Sisolak conceded Thursday night before the fight was announced, noting it looked like he would fall “about a percentage point from winning.”   

  “Obviously this is not the outcome I want, but I believe in our electoral system, in democracy and in honoring the will of the voters of Nevada.  So whether you voted for me or Sheriff Lombardo, it’s important that we come together now to keep moving the state forward.  That’s why I contacted the Sheriff to wish him well,” Sisolak said in a statement.  He also noted that he had presided over some difficult years, including a “once-in-a-century pandemic” and “the stresses and strains of global inflation.”   

  “I know it’s been a challenge for many of you, and I couldn’t be prouder of how this state has worked to lead us to a better day,” Sisolak said.  “I’m also proud that we made the tough decisions during COVID that helped save nearly 30,000 lives in Nevada, even if those decisions sometimes had tough political consequences.”   

  Lombardo called his victory “a victory for all Nevadans who want our state back on track.”   

  “It’s a win for small business owners, for parents, for students and for law enforcement.  It’s a victory for all Nevadans who believe our best and brightest days are ahead of us,” Lombardo said in a statement.   

  Lombardo was one of the rare GOP candidates supported by both Trump and the Republican establishment.  During the general election, he at times tried to distance himself from Trump as he tried to win over moderate and independent voters.  During a discussion with Sisolak, Lombardo said he would not describe Trump as a “great” president and said he did not agree with Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.   

  But Sisolak suggested that Lombardo was giving different answers to different audiences.  He also relentlessly attacked Lombardo’s abortion changes, which have been protected in Nevada up to 24 weeks since a voter referendum in 1990. Lombardo argued that Nevada’s current law should remain in place, but Sisolak noted that he had changed the position several times during the campaign.  In May, for example, Lombardo told a columnist that he would support sending a referendum to voters to shift the 24-week limit to 13 weeks.  But he later said he had given this potential change more thought and no longer supported it.  However, Sisolak portrayed his Republican opponent as a threat to women’s reproductive rights.   

  Sisolak stopped short of inviting Biden to campaign with him in the final stretch, but also argued that the president is being unfairly blamed for inflation, as well as problems he inherited from Trump.   

  This story has been updated with additional details.