Joe Lombardo

Joseph Michael Lombardo ( ləm-BAR-doh; born November 8, 1962) is an American politician and former law enforcement officer serving since 2023 as the 31st governor of Nevada. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 17th sheriff of Clark County from 2015 to 2023, capping a 34-year career in law enforcement.

Born in Japan, Lombardo moved to Las Vegas in 1976 and was educated at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He served in the United States Army before becoming an officer in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in 1988. He was elected sheriff in 2014 and reelected in 2018. As sheriff, he oversaw the investigation into the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. He won the Republican nomination for governor of Nevada in 2022 and defeated incumbent Democratic governor Steve Sisolak in the general election; he took office on January 2, 2023.