Better Nevada PAC: Funding, Ford Ad Campaign, and Voter ID Push

Better Nevada PAC is a political action committee aligned with Nevada’s Republican Governor Joe Lombardo, set up to advance his policy agenda and political interests. Through March 31, 2026, it had reported roughly $3.3 million in contributions and $3.6 million in expenditures, most of it channeled into television and digital advertising against Democratic gubernatorial contenders and into a ballot push for voter identification.¹

Where the Money Comes From

The PAC’s funding runs through a layered structure. In the first quarter of 2026, nearly all of its money, $3 million in cash, came from a single source: Nevada Way PAC, a separate committee affiliated with the governor.²

Nevada Way PAC is where the casino industry shows up. It raised $4.5 million in 2025, with more than $3 million from gaming interests. Station Casinos, Frank Fertitta, and Lorenzo Fertitta each gave $1 million. South Point Hotel and Casino added $200,000, the Venetian Las Vegas and Boyd Gaming $100,000 each, and Caesars Entertainment $70,000.³ Through March 2026, Nevada Way raised another $1.58 million, including $1 million from Las Vegas Sands and $500,000 from Nevada Gold Mines LLC.²

Before the Nevada Way transfers began, Better Nevada PAC’s 2025 haul of $266,000 came entirely from A Public Voice Inc., an Ohio-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit that does not have to disclose its own donors, a source campaign finance researchers describe as dark money.²

Where the Money Goes

Most of what Better Nevada PAC spends flows to one firm. Majority Strategies LLC, a Republican consulting shop based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, that specializes in direct mail and digital advertising, has been paid roughly $2.28 million by the PAC, more than 60 percent of total expenditures.¹⁴ The firm has also worked for Donald Trump, Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia, and several U.S. senators.⁵

Other significant payees include MHB Media Inc. at about $467,000, Nation Builder at $258,000, and the Republican polling firm the Tarrance Group at $144,000. Smaller sums went to JBurke Communications, Red Leaf Consultants, Grassroots Targeting, and other consulting and production vendors.¹

The 2026 Ad Campaign Against Aaron Ford

In February 2026, Better Nevada PAC launched what it described as a seven-figure ad buy across statewide streaming services and the Reno broadcast market, targeting Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford, a leading gubernatorial candidate.⁶

The 30-second spot, “High-Flying Ford,” cited a Las Vegas Review-Journal analysis finding Ford spent 137 days outside Nevada in 2024, with trips to France, Singapore, Taiwan, and the Yucatán, and asked, “Nevada doesn’t need a globe-trotting politician. Why promote him for governor?” The ad contrasted Ford’s travel with Lombardo’s roughly 30 days out of state that year.⁶

Ford’s campaign responded that 98 of those 137 days were for work-related purposes including labor issues, sex trafficking, drug abuse, and cybercrime efforts, and that 33 involved events tied to prominent Black leaders.⁶⁷⁸

The Voter ID Ballot Effort

Better Nevada PAC seeded the campaign for voter identification in Nevada. It spawned an offshoot, initially called the Better Nevada Ballot Advocacy Committee and later renamed the Nevada Voter ID Coalition, and transferred $1.4 million to it. That transfer was funded in part by a $1.5 million contribution to Better Nevada PAC from Las Vegas Sands.⁹

Lombardo himself chairs the coalition, with co-chairs Sparks City Attorney Wes Duncan, real estate agent Tina Brown, and businessman Tim Cashman. It registered with the secretary of state in August 2024 and is pushing a constitutional amendment requiring in-person photo identification and voter-identifiable numbers for mail-in ballots.¹⁰

How It Fits Into the Lombardo Network

Better Nevada PAC is one node in a set of connected organizations backing the governor. The largest sibling entity is the Service First Fund, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that has spent over $4 million on advertising in the 2026 gubernatorial race, more than half of all ad spending in the contest.¹¹¹²²

The same names show up across the entities. John Burke speaks for both Better Nevada PAC and the Service First Fund. Chrissie Hastie sits on the Service First Fund board and is the authorized signatory for the Nevada Voter ID Coalition’s financial reports.¹³ Tina Brown appears on the Service First Fund board and as co-chair of the Voter ID Coalition. The layered setup lets the operation use disclosed PAC spending for direct political ads, undisclosed nonprofit spending for issue ads, and a dedicated committee for the ballot campaign.

Why Nevada Law Allows This Structure

Nevada places no limits on contributions to political action committees. PACs must disclose donors and expenditures in periodic filings with the secretary of state, but individual contributions directly to candidates are the only ones capped, at $5,000 per election.¹⁴ State law also permits a timing gap: PACs that report no donors at the April pre-primary filing can delay disclosure until after the June primaries, a window Republican-affiliated groups have used to spend heavily on primary ads without naming their funders until after votes are cast.¹¹

1
TransparencyUSA. Better Nevada PAC Payees
2
OpenSecrets. How Casino Cash, Corporate Bundling and Dark Money Are Powering Joe Lombardo’s Reelection Bid in Nevada
3
Nevada Current. One Safe Bet About the Race for Governor: Lombardo Won’t Be Outspent
4
Inc. Majority Strategies Company Profile
5
Majority Strategies. Majority Strategies
6
The Nevada Independent. Pro-Lombardo PAC Launches Major Ad Campaign Against Top Democratic Contender Aaron Ford
7
Reno Gazette-Journal. Ethics Complaint Against Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford Advances
8
Las Vegas Sun. Nevada Ethics Panel Advances Complaints Against AG
9
The Nevada Independent. How Question 7 Would Require Voter ID in Nevada
10
The Nevada Independent. Political Fight Over Nevada Voter ID Question Likely to Heat Up After New Groups Formed
11
The Nevada Independent. Millions Pour Into Nevada Primary Ads; a Third of the Money Is Untraceable
12
The Nevada Independent. Pro-Lombardo Dark Money Nonprofit Started as Governor’s Inaugural Committee
13
Nevada Secretary of State. 2024 Contributions and Expenses Report, Nevada Voter ID Coalition
14
Nevada Legislature. NRS Chapter 294A, Campaign Practices