Editor’s note: Este artículo está traducido al español.

Nevada’s largest teachers union is spending millions to help reelect Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, but a new poll suggests the teachers it represents may prefer his Democratic challenger, Attorney General Aaron Ford.

The poll, commissioned by Strong Public Schools Nevada, the Nevada State Education Association’s political action committee, found that Clark County teachers surveyed favored Ford over Lombardo, 52% to 32%. Statewide, teachers surveyed favored Ford, 54% to 31%.

The statewide results were based on responses from 359 teachers who said they planned to vote in the governor’s race. Independent candidate Danielle Ford, who is not related to Aaron Ford, received 10% support, while 4% were undecided.

Survey 160 conducted the poll Oct. 14-15 and reported an overall margin of error of plus or minus 6.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

The Clark County Education Association, which represents teachers in the Clark County School District, endorsed Lombardo in November 2025. Its Strategic Horizons political action committee has spent about $2 million on advertising for his reelection, according to state campaign finance reports. Strategic Horizons has also reported contributing $220,000 to the Republican-associated GSD PAC.

Strategic Horizons is an independent PAC chaired by CCEA leadership and funded through transfers from the union’s treasury and major organizational contributions, rather than the voluntary payroll deductions that finance the union’s separate candidate PAC, according to records on file with the secretary of state’s office and campaign finance disclosure reports.

A video ad paid for by Strategic Horizons shows Lombardo at a rally with people in CCEA shirts waving signs of support. CCEA attached it to an X post that says, “A vote for Joe is a vote for Educators!”

Another CCEA post on X defends Lombardo in response to a Ford campaign post: “Ford says he wants to bring per-pupil funding up to the national average, yet he has no plan for where he’s going to find the funding. Oh wait, he’s supported by special interest groups who support a plan that would raise property taxes and sales taxes on Nevada families.”

“Lombardo actually has a plan, AND it would bring funding to the national average in less than 5 years,” the post continued. “Aaron Ford speaks like a career politician, @JoeLombardoNV acts as a real leader.”

Ruben Murillo, a past president of CCEA and the Nevada State Education Association and a current officer of Strong Public Schools Nevada, said in a statement that CCEA wasn’t speaking for teachers.

“As a former CCEA president, I know the difference between speaking together with teachers and speaking over them,” Murillo said. “Sadly, CCEA is speaking over their members by spending millions for Joe Lombardo when most teachers know Aaron Ford would be so much better for our schools and students.”

Retired Clark County School District teacher Chris Giunchigliani, a former CCEA president, Nevada assemblywoman and Clark County commissioner, also criticized the union’s pro-Lombardo messaging.

“Maybe CCEA should have asked teachers who they support for governor before spending millions of member dollars to make it look like teachers are lining up behind Joe Lombardo,” she said in a statement. “This poll confirms what we already know. Most teachers don’t support Joe Lombardo, and their union shouldn’t either.”