Aaron Ford, Nevada attorney general running for Governor in 2026 midterm elections

Aaron Ford has often pointed to his working-class upbringing as the foundation of his political career. The Nevada attorney general says his family's struggles with poverty, food insecurity and financial hardship shaped his priorities. Now, he is seeking to become Nevada's next governor in the 2026 midterm elections.Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford speaks during a campaign rally. (REUTERS)Also read: US midterm elections 2026 LIVE: Democrats, Republicans see close contest; Justice dept intervenes in mail-in ballot caseWho is Aaron Ford?Aaron Ford, 54, was born to Larry Ford and Denise Claiborne in 1972 in Dallas. Ford was the eldest of their three boys and was the one to keep his siblings in check for his mother.The Nevada attorney general's story about his early life begins with a grocery-store clerk, his mother working odd jobs, and a childhood in which the family sometimes didn’t have enough food. These struggles have shaped his life.His father, Larry Ford, worked in the produce department at Safeway, while his mother, Denise, held several jobs to support the family. After his parents divorced, Ford helped care for his siblings and later became a single father while attending college.Ford has said that Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, helped his family survive through difficult times.He also credits public education with preparing him for his future professional life. He began his career as a public-school mathematics teacher and later went to college and graduated with five degrees, including a law degree and a doctorate from Ohio State University.Ford worked as a field organizer for General Wesley Clark's failed 2004 Democratic presidential campaign. Ford later entered politics, serving in the Nevada Senate, where he became Senate Majority Leader. He was elected Nevada attorney general in 2018.Aaron Ford familyFord is married to attorney Berna Rhodes-Ford, and the couple has three sons: Avery Ford, Aaron Ford II and Alexander Ford. The couple, however, raise four children, including Devin Ford, Ford's nephew, whom they raise as a son.Rhodes-Ford is an attorney and college sweetheart whom he met while studying. has been active in supporting his gubernatorial campaign.There is no verified public estimate of Ford's personal net worth. While various online figures circulate, no official financial disclosure establishes his wealth beyond required campaign and public filings.Aaron Ford's policies and political recordAs Nevada attorney general, Ford has advocated for consumers, minorities, and criminal justice reform. . His office has also supported initiatives involving prisoners' rights and public safety.His gubernatorial campaign centres on housing affordability, healthcare, education, energy policy and raising wages. His campaign will also highlight family-friendly policies, as Ford continues to push to make Nevada more affordable for middle-class and working families.In particular, he has criticized tariffs, arguing that they make imported goods more expensive. He said these tariffs ultimately lead to higher prices for housing, services, and everyday necessities. His campaign focuses heavily on reducing corporate influence and lowering the cost of living for working families. His campaign has explicitly critiqued these measures as a "tariffs tax" on basic household necessities and argued they negatively impact tourism.His common-sense budget approach also applies to technology and artificial intelligence. Ford supports expanding Nevada's technology sector and attracting high-paying jobs. However, he has called for companies developing large AI data centres to bear the costs of the electricity and water they consume. He also supports pausing new tax incentives for data centres while reviewing their fiscal impact on the state.Also read: US midterms, the vote that cannot remove a president but can limit what he does, explainedHowever, Ford’s own legacy as a politician may clash with his campaign promises here.Ford's position on data centres has attracted scrutiny because he previously supported tax incentives for the industry during his time in the Nevada Legislature. As a gubernatorial candidate, he now advocates reviewing and temporarily pausing additional incentives before approving further expansion.His campaign has also faced ethics violations related to travel and campaign expenses. The allegations were brought before the Nevada Commission on Ethics in 2026. Ford's campaign has denied any wrongdoing and described the complaints as politically motivated. No final determination has found him in violation of ethics rules.On foreign policy, including the conflict involving Iran, Ford has largely focused on the domestic economic impact, particularly gasoline prices, inflation, and household costs, rather than advocating military action or making international affairs a central campaign issue.As the 2026 Nevada governor's race unfolds, Ford is presenting himself as a candidate whose personal experiences with economic hardship continue to shape his vision for the state.In many ways, Ford’s campaign is a conflict between the man and the myth. Between the popular attorney general and the former state senator, member, and legislative majority leader. Between the child of working-class parents and the politician who has dedicated his life to ensuring that everyone, regardless of their status, receives fair treatment in the system.