Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo backs Trump

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo is backing former President Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primary, meaning all four governors in the GOP early states have now made endorsements.

Lombardo will caucus for Trump and plans to vote “none of the above” in the state-run primary, he told The Nevada Independent on Thursday.

“I believe [under President Donald Trump] the economic picture was better, more predictable, more stable. And then if you look at foreign affairs, [it was] more predictable and more stable,” Lombardo told the Independent. “I think he has the ability to move us out of the doldrums associated with President [Joe] Biden.”

Nevada has a unique setup with both a party-run caucus and a state-run primary. Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are competing in the caucus on Feb. 8, while former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is in the primary two days earlier on Feb. 6. Candidates could only put their name on the ballot for one of the contests, and the caucus is the only one that will award delegates to the national convention.

Trump endorsed Lombardo, a Republican, in his gubernatorial bid in 2022. Lombardo was the only Republican to beat an incumbent Democratic governor in the midterms.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds shared her endorsement for DeSantis in November, ahead of the country’s first presidential contest for 2024. Trump ran away with the Iowa caucuses earlier this week.

Over in New Hampshire, the first primary state, Gov. Chris Sununu endorsed Haley in December.

In South Carolina, the final early state, Gov. Henry McMaster backed Trump in November 2022, nearly two years before the general election.