Nevada AG Aaron Ford Teams Up with Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett Amid Out-of-State Cash Dependency

In a move that underscores Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford’s (D) ongoing reliance on progressive out-of-state donors to fuel his 2026 gubernatorial bid, Ford has joined forces with Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in a joint fundraising effort. A recent email from Crockett’s campaign, as highlighted in a post on X by Texas Tribune correspondent Gabby Birenbaum, urges supporters to split donations between the two Democrats via an ActBlue page.  This crossover comes as no surprise given Ford’s history of jet-setting and heavy dependence on external donors, raising questions about whether his priorities lie with Nevada voters or progressive Democratic allies.

Ford, who announced his bid to challenge Republican Governor Joe Lombardo last July, has long faced criticism for his extensive travels outside the Silver State. As previously reported by the California Globe, Ford spent approximately 137 days—one-third of 2024—out of state, jetting to destinations like France, Singapore, Taiwan, Macau, Mexico, Cape Cod, Chicago, the Kentucky Derby, and Martha’s Vineyard.  These trips, often justified as “business” or campaign-related, included stumping for then-President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as personal fundraisers in cities like Columbus and Dallas.

This jet-setting continued into 2025, with Ford’s campaign filings revealing nearly $140,000 in travel expenses over the two years, funded largely by campaign dollars. Critics, including ethics watchdogs, have accused Ford of treating his Attorney General role as a “part-time” gig while prioritizing progressive national policies and ambitions.  An ethics complaint filed last November alleged he improperly mingled official and campaign social media accounts, potentially using taxpayer resources to boost his gubernatorial run. Lombardo’s Better Nevada PAC referred to Ford as “too extreme” for Nevada in a press release that highlighted Crockett’s email. 

Ford’s financial disclosures paint a clear picture of his out-of-state dependency. In 2025 alone, Ford raised approximately $2.2 million, with a staggering 50 percent—about $1.1 million—coming from out-of-state donors. This mirrors a broader trend among Nevada Democrats, who increasingly rely on external cash funneled through platforms like ActBlue, the Democratic fundraising powerhouse currently under investigation for alleged fraud and straw donor schemes.  Ford himself returned $16,000 in suspicious contributions linked to a California family involved in an ActBlue-processed straw donor operation, donating the funds to charity amid the controversy. 

By comparison, Ford’s in-state fundraising for 2025 accounted for the remaining 50 percent, or roughly $1.1 million, highlighting a balanced but concerning split that suggests his campaign is as much a national enterprise as a local one. In 2024, his campaign spent $284,100 overall, including $82,100 on travel—expenses that included out-of-state fundraisers and events.Going back to his 2022 Attorney General re-election, Ford hauled in over $3.4 million, with significant portions from out-of-state sources, setting a pattern of out-of-state reliance.

The joint ActBlue page with Crockett, a progressive Democrat known more for her mouth and adopted Texas twang, than her policy expertise and statesmanship, represents the latest in Ford’s out-of-state maneuvers. The fundraising email, sent from Crockett’s campaign, explicitly asks recipients to “split a donation” between the two, blending their progressive polarization that could alienate Nevada independents—who now make up the state’s largest voting bloc.

Governor Lombardo, meanwhile, enters the race with a record-breaking $15 million war chest, much of it raised in-state, positioning him as popular with Nevadan donors–a stark contrast to Ford’s globetrotting fundraising. With polls showing the race in a dead heat—though some surveys under-sample independents—Ford’s strategy of courting national and controversial figures like Crockett may backfire in a swing state that, in the last two elections, ousted an incumbent Democrat governor, ushered in a Republican governor, rejected Kamala Harris, and voted to send a Republican to the White House.