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State Sen. Aaron Ford (D) defeated former state Assemblyman Wesley Duncan (R) and Las Vegas attorney Joel Hansen (Independent American) for attorney general of Nevada in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Incumbent Attorney General Adam Laxalt (R), who was first elected in 2014, ran for governor of Nevada rather than seeking re-election.
Nevada was a Republican triplex with Republicans holding the offices of governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. In the five presidential elections leading up the 2018 race, Nevada was won by the Democratic candidate in 2008, 2012, and 2016, and by the Republican candidate in 2000 and 2004. The widest margin of victory was Barack Obama's (D) 13 percent margin in 2008. The narrowest was Hillary Clinton's (D) two percent margin in 2016.
Governing rated the seat a toss-up based on early polling in the race.
Nevada attorney general election, 2018
| Poll | Poll sponsor |  Ford |
 Duncan | Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mellman Group April 12-19, 2018 | Ralston Reports | 36% | 27% | 37% | +/-4.0 | 600 |
Attorney General of Nevada, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Adam Paul Laxalt |
46.2% | 251,379 | |
| Democratic | Ross Miller | 45.3% | 246,629 | |
| Independent American | Jonathan Hansen | 5.6% | 30,513 | |
| Independent | None of these candidates | 2.9% | 15,629 | |
| Total Votes | 544,150 | |||
| Election results via Nevada Secretary of State | ||||
Attorney General of Nevada, 2010
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Catherine Cortez Masto Incumbent |
52.8% | 372,011 | |
| Republican | Travis Barrick | 35.7% | 251,269 | |
| American Independent | Joel F. Hansen | 7.8% | 54,980 | |
| Nonpartisan | None of these candidates | 3.7% | 26,072 | |
| Total Votes | 704,332 | |||
| Election results via Nevada Secretary of State | ||||
Attorney General of Nevada, 2006
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Catherine Cortez Masto |
59% | 339,465 | |
| Republican | Don Chairez | 35.6% | 204,816 | |
| Nonpartisan | None of these candidates | 5.3% | 30,694 | |
| Total Votes | 574,975 | |||
Demographic data for Nevada
| Nevada | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 2,883,758 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 109,781 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 49.7% | 50.8% |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 69% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 8.4% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 7.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.6% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 4.4% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 27.5% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 85.1% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 23% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $51,847 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 17.8% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Nevada. | ||
As of July 2016, Nevada' three largest cities were Las Vegas (pop. est. 640,000), Henderson (pop. est. 300,000), and Reno (pop. est. 250,000).
