Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo was accused of using his position to access unwarranted privileges after a video surfaced of him invoking his identity to avoid a traffic ticket. In 2026, a video of Lombardo went viral after it appeared to show Lombardo using his position to avoid being issued a ticket during a traffic stop. The video showed Lombardo interrupting the officer’s explanation of why he was pulled over, saying “I’m Joe Lombardo” and “come on, man,” before the officer ultimately let him go without a ticket. One Reno resident filed an ethics complaint in response, accusing Lombardo of “unlawfully” using “his position and standing” as governor to “secure and grant unwarranted privileges, preferences, exemptions and advantages for his personal benefit.” Lombardo’s campaign and law enforcement representatives defended Lombardo’s behavior, but Nevada voters and other politicians questioned the ethics of the interaction.
Lombardo’s ethics were again questioned after the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into a Lombardo campaign banner vandalized with references to the traffic stop. While Lombardo and Metro police denied accusations that Lombardo requested the investigation, commenters on social media called it another example of Lombardo seeking special treatment and “a waste of our tax dollars.”
HEADLINE: “Nevada Governor Drops His Own Name At Traffic Stop And Avoids Ticket” [New York Times, 7/15/26]
May 2026: Lombardo Interrupted A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Officer After Being Pulled Over For A Suspected Red Light Violation, Saying, “I’m Joe Lombardo” And “Come On, Man,” Until The Officer Said “You Are Good To Go” And Let Lombardo Leave Without Issuing A Ticket. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “At issue was Metropolitan Police Department body-camera video from May 15 that shows a police sergeant stopping the former Clark County sheriff for a suspected red light violation, then letting him go without a citation. The video shows Lombardo in a Ford pickup truck near Mandalay Bay on May 15 with his wife, Donna, in the front passenger seat. ‘Hello. How are you doing, sir?’ the sergeant says upon approaching the pickup on the passenger side. ‘Good,’ the governor responds. The sergeant introduces himself and says, ‘The reason I’m stopping you is for the —’ ‘I’m Joe Lombardo,’ the governor says before the officer can complete his sentence. ‘I’m aware,’ the officer responds. ‘For the red light violation back there. Your right turn onto Giles —’ ‘Come on, man,’ Lombardo interjects. ‘You are good to go, sir. Appreciate you. Have a good day,’ the sergeant states.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/14/26]
July 2026: Reno Resident Zachary Miller Filed An Ethics Complaint Accusing Lombardo Of “Unlawfully” Using “His Position And Standing As Nevada’s Governor” To “Intimidate The Officer” And “Secure And Grant Unwarranted Privileges, Preferences, Exemptions And Advantages For His Personal Benefit.” According to 8 News Now, “The complaint was filed by Reno resident Zachary Miller with the Nevada Commission on Ethics. [...] ‘As the officer was explaining why he pulled over Governor Lombardo during the traffic violation, Governor Lombardo interrupted the officer, exclaiming, ‘I’m Joe Lombardo.’ When the officer proceeded to explain Joe Lombardo’s traffic violation, Governor Lombardo again interrupted the officer in the course of his duties and exclaimed, ‘Come on, man,’’ the complaint stated. ‘Lombardo’s behavior is unbecoming of a public official, since as he used his position and standing as Nevada’s Governor to not only intimidate the officer, but also to unlawfully use his position to secure and grant unwarranted privileges, preferences, exemptions and advantages for his personal benefit,’ the complaint said.” [8 News Now, 7/21/26]
Miller Said He Did Not File The Complaint For Political Reasons, But Because Of His Own Experience Having To Accept A Ticket During A Traffic Stop And Pay For It, Which Miller Said “Was Not Very Fun.” According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “Miller, who recently earned a mathematics doctorate from the University of Nevada, Reno, said that while he won’t vote for Lombardo in November, his motivation for filing the complaint wasn’t political and that he acted independently of any political organization. Miller said that he instead was influenced by a traffic stop of his own while traveling between Reno and Las Vegas, which resulted in a citation. He said that he had to sit calmly, answer questions and accept the ticket. ‘I had to pay for it,’ he said. ‘It was not very fun.’” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/22/26]
Miller Said Lombardo Getting “Away With Being Pulled Over” Made Him “Frustrated,” And Said It Was “Pretty Shocking” That Lombardo “Just Blatantly Interrupted” The Officer. According to ABC13 KTNV, “The complainant, Zachary Miller, spoke with our ABC affiliate in Reno and said seeing the video of Lombardo's traffic stop was ‘frustrating.’ ‘Basically, get away with being pulled over. It made me so frustrated,’ Miller said. ‘What also stood out to me was that he used his name, which was pretty shocking to me, and that the officer was just blatantly interrupted. He wasn't able to talk to Lombardo about what he did and about what the situation was about and what the process was from there.’” [ABC13 KTNV, 7/22/26]
Lombardo’s Campaign Defended His Interaction With The Officer, Saying He “Fully Complied With All Instructions” And “Responded In Kind By Simply Saying, ‘Joe Lombardo,’ As A Matter Of Courtesy.” According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “The governor’s campaign issued a statement Tuesday saying Lombardo and his wife were headed to Harry Reid International Airport. ‘Two months ago, Governor Lombardo and his wife were briefly pulled over on their way to the airport by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department over a question about whether Governor Lombardo had come to a complete stop while turning. Governor Lombardo spoke with the officer, fully complied with all instructions, and was promptly on his way. He remains grateful for the professionalism of the officer involved and for the service of law enforcement officers across Nevada.’ The governor’s campaign also said he was not seeking special treatment by introducing himself to the sergeant as the sergeant was speaking. ‘As the officer approached the vehicle, he introduced himself to Governor Lombardo, who responded in kind by simply saying, ‘Joe Lombardo,’ as a matter of courtesy,’ the campaign said in an email. ‘At no point did the Governor invoke his office and seek — or expect — preferential treatment.’” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/14/26]
Las Vegas Police Protective Association President Steve Grammas Said Lombardo’s Interaction With The Officer Was “A Big Nothing” And Said There Was No Reason For The Officer To Run Lombardo’s Information Because The Officer Already Knew Who He Was. According to the Associated Press, “Steve Grammas, the president of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, said the interaction wasn’t uncommon. Officers stop drivers, explain why drivers are stopped and then let them go on their way. ‘It really is a big nothing in my opinion,’ he said. Grammas, whose union endorsed the Republican governor, denied Lombardo received any special treatment. Typically officers ask for the driver’s license in order to identify them, but the officer already knew who the governor was, he said. ‘Being that it is the governor, the former sheriff, odds are he doesn’t have warrants, does not have a suspended driver’s license, and so there’s no need to run that person,’ Grammas said. Grammas added that the governor didn’t identify himself as the governor, and simply said his name.” [Associated Press, 7/14/26]
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill Said He Did Not “Have Any Problems With” The Officer Not Issuing Lombardo A Ticket, And Said He Did Not “Interpret” Lombardo Identifying Himself As “Seeking Special Treatment.” According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Wednesday he is OK with a police sergeant’s decision not to issue a traffic citation to Gov. Joe Lombardo for a suspected red light violation. ‘I don’t have any problems with what the officer did,’ McMahill said, adding officers are given discretion on whether to issue citations for minor traffic infractions like the one for which the governor was stopped. [...] Asked if he thought Lombardo was seeking special treatment by identifying himself prior to the sergeant being able to complete his sentence, McMahill said, ‘I didn’t interpret it that way.’ ‘The fact that he identified himself to the officer that stopped him — I didn’t have any issues with that,’ McMahill said.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/15/26]
Attorney General Aaron Ford Agreed The Officer Had Discretion Not To Issue Lombardo A Citation, But Said Lombardo “Absolutely Abused His Authority” And “Should Not Have Invoked His Name In Order To Get Special Treatment.” According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “‘That bodycam footage just demonstrates what we already know,’ Ford said at a campaign event in Las Vegas. ‘He absolutely abused his authority, invoking his name so that he did not even get a warning allowed to be provided by the officer.’ ‘He should not have invoked his name in order to get special treatment in order to try to avoid any liability that could have been coming his way,’ Ford said. [...] Ford agreed with Sheriff Kevin McMahill, who said Wednesday the officer who stopped Lombardo had discretion not to issue a citation.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/16/26]
Oberly Said He Had An “Ethical Obligation” To Insist On Being Ticketed For Speeding, Even Though The State Trooper Who Pulled Him Over Was Going To Let Him Go After Learning His Identity, Because He Wanted To “Be Treated Regularly.” According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “An April 11, 1986, story in the Evening Journal in Wilmington reported Oberly was heading to speak at a local Democratic women’s club when he was stopped by a Delaware state trooper who pulled him over for speeding and was ready to let him go after learning his identity. [...] Oberly insisted on the ticket because he wanted to ‘be treated regularly, more severely,’ the Evening Journal reported. Oberly said that during his traffic stop in ‘86, he let the trooper do her job. ‘She came back and said, ‘Are you Charles Oberly the attorney general?’ and I said ‘Yes, officer,’’ Oberly said. Oberly said the trooper told him he was going about 10 mph over the speed limit, but it was her discretion not to issue him a ticket. [...] Oberly said that, in his case, he had an ethical obligation to ask for the ticket.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/23/26]
Former Delaware Attorney General Charles Oberly Said Lombardo Should Have Been Cited And “Should Have Simply Accepted” The Ticket Because “When You Announce Your Name Before They Even Ask You Your License Plate, That’s Pretty Clear To Me That You Know What You’ve Done.” According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “Charles Oberly, who served as Delaware’s attorney general from 1983 to 1995, said Lombardo’s traffic stop in May reminded him of when he was pulled over for speeding by a Delaware state trooper in 1986. [...] ‘The guy should have simply accepted it or said, ‘Give me a ticket,’’ Oberly said of Lombardo. ‘And if he didn’t give him a ticket, be honest about it, say, ‘I got stopped last night. A police officer didn’t give me a ticket, but I should have.’ [...] Although he agreed with McMahill that officers have discretion for issuing a ticket, Oberly said Lombardo should have been cited. ‘When you announce your name before they even ask you your license plate, that’s pretty clear to me that you know what you’ve done,’ Oberly said. ‘If you have two wits about you, you’re going to know the name of the governor.’” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/23/26]
A Lombardo Campaign Banner On The 215 Beltway Was Vandalized, Giving Lombardo “An Old-Timey Mustache” And Adding The Words “C’mon Man.” According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “The Metropolitan Police Department is probing the defacing of a mammoth banner promoting Gov. Joe Lombardo’s re-election campaign on the 215 Beltway in the southwest valley. [...] The banner, paid for by the Lombardo campaign, originally showed a portrait of a smiling Lombardo and his name in large lettering. A vandal or vandals added an old-timey mustache to his picture and included the text ‘C’mon Man’ next to it, likely in reference to Las Vegas police body-camera footage that emerged last week that showed a traffic stop involving Lombardo in May.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/23/26]
Lombardo Was Again Accused Of Seeking Favorable Treatment After LVMPD And The Clark County Fire Department Were Seen Dusting A Vandalized Lombardo Campaign Sign For Fingerprints, Which Social Media Commenters Called “A Waste Of Our Tax Dollars.” According to ABC13 KTNV, “The photo shows the defaced campaign sign on a wall at the top of a rocky slope along the 215 beltway near Flamingo Road. It appears to show six people from both LVMPD and the Clark County Fire Department using a ladder to dust the sign for fingerprints where a vandal posted the words ‘C'mon Man.’ [...] Though Lombardo's campaign and the police union have denied any ethics violation or favorable treatment, the governor has faced criticism for the interaction, with some saying he used his position to get out of a citation. Now, he's facing similar criticism online for the campaign sign vandalism investigation. Social media commenters on X called it ‘a waste of our tax dollars.’” [ABC13 KTNV, 7/22/26]
Lombardo’s Campaign Claimed He Did Not Request LVMPD To Investigate The Vandalizing Of His Billboard, But Said “Metro Independently Started The Investigation.” According to ABC13 KTNV, “Lombardo's campaign issued the following statement: ‘Governor Lombardo did not ask Metro to investigate the vandalism, and he has not spoken with anyone at Metro about the sign vandalism. Metro independently started the investigation. Any further question on the details of the investigation, we refer you to Metro.’” [ABC13 KTNV, 7/22/26]
LVMPD Claimed The “Investigation Was Initiated By Patrol Officers, Not By Members Of A Political Campaign,” And Said They Have “Investigated Vandalism In The Past When It Is Evident That The Cost Of The Damage Is Significant.” According to ABC13 KTNV, “Just after 1:00 PM on Thursday, Metro emailed the following: [...] ‘Campaign signs are routinely defaced. LVMPD has investigated vandalism in the past when it is evident that the cost of the damage is significant. Political candidates can report vandalism and LVMPD will investigate. This investigation was initiated by patrol officers, not by members of a political campaign.’” [ABC13 KTNV, 7/22/26]