Nevada’s Jet-setting Attorney General Spent One-Third of 2024 out of state

France, Singapore, Taiwan, Macau, Mexico, Cape Cod, Chicago, the Kentucky Derby, and Martha’s Vineyard are just a handful of places Attorney General Aaron Ford (D-NV) traveled to in 2024 on “business” and for his 2026 gubernatorial campaign.

In July last year, with the backing of Senators Catherine Cortez-Masto and Jackie Rosen, Ford launched his gubernatorial campaign and is the likely Democratic challenger to Governor Joe Lombardo (R-NV). His travels  include stumping for President Joe Biden’s abandoned reelection campaign and Kamala Harris’ failed presidential campaign.

In total, Ford traveled for approximately 137 days outside the state of Nevada in 2024, according to an investigation by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Yet, his campaign spokesperson contends that Ford is “laser-focused on protecting Nevadans.” It must be one powerful laser to reach Nevada from international destinations.

The Review-Journal found:

State money was not used for the out-of-state travel, which was paid for with campaign or personal funds or by sponsoring organizations, said John Sadler, the attorney general’s communications director. Ford declined an interview request.

Nevada law allows the use of campaign funds for all expenses incurred by a candidate for a campaign, including for travel and special events.

Ford reported four third-party-sponsored trips totaling $35,000 in an annual disclosure form required under state law. He visited Normandy, France; Macau and Singapore; Tulum, Mexico; and Taipei, Taiwan, through the bipartisan Attorney General Alliance and the National Association of Attorneys General. Ford served as the AGA chairman in 2024.

A spokesperson for Ford’s gubernatorial campaign said the sponsored trips bring attorneys general together to tackle challenges across state lines, such as labor and sex trafficking, fentanyl and wildlife trafficking, cybercrime, environmental threats, social media and opioids.

Ford reported the most sponsored travel in 2024 of Nevada’s constitutional officers.

Ford’s jet-setting was blasted by Governor Joe Lombardo’s aligned Better Nevada PAC:

“Aaron Ford has treated the attorney general’s office as a part-time job and a way to vacation around the world on someone else’s dime, said spokesman John Burke.

“In that same time, Ford has been laser-focused on protecting Nevadans in his role as Attorney General,” campaign spokesperson Tai Sims said in a statement to the Review-Journal.

Sims said that of the 137 days that Ford was out of state, 98 were work-related, including 65 on business of the bipartisan attorneys general organizations and 33 for events geared toward prominent Black leaders. Twenty-three were campaign-related or in conjunction with the Democratic Attorneys General Association.

Ford also spent 19 days out of office for personal reasons, 16 of which were spent out of state. Those days included trips to visit sick parents, vacation with his wife and travel to attend his father-in-law’s 90th birthday celebration, according to his campaign. His personal days included Christmas and New Year’s Day,” The Review-Journal reported.

In April 2024, Ford began his international travels, some of which were sponsored by the Attorney General Alliance, a bipartisan “alliance of Attorneys General, federal, state, and foreign officials, and public and private sector partners throughout the world who come together to address complex issues in law and policy.”

In May, he attended the Kentucky Derby which was reportedly connected to the Democratic Attorneys General Association in which Ford sits on the Executive Committee.

In August, he traveled domestically, including a week on Martha’s Vineyard attending a KAIROS conference for Black leaders to “connect for relationship building, ideation, deal flow and partnership development.” Ford led a session titled “Reimagining of legal strategy in a changing landscape,” according to the event’s agenda.”

His donors spent nearly $2,000 a night at a boutique hotel stay for Ford last summer in Martha’s vineyard, which begs the question: Can’t many of Ford’s junkets/meetings not be conducted through ZOOM?

The Review Journal reports: “Ford spent nearly $12,000 in campaign funds at a boutique hotel, The Richard, on Martha’s Vineyard and about $2,000 at restaurants and on a rental car, according to his campaign expense report. Ford’s campaign declined to provide details on the hotel tab.”

In November, Ford traveled for about two weeks, including to the Secrets Puerto Los Cabos Golf and Spa, an adults-only AAA Four Diamond Resort in Baja, Mexico, for a conference of the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association. He spoke on an hourlong panel about sports betting, according to the conference’s panel list.

Ford reported spending more than $2,800 in campaign funds at the resort. He also used $2,500 in campaign funds to make a donation to the group.

In May he traveled to Philadelphia for a Black Voters for Biden event, according to his Instagram account. He also took quick trips to Detroit and Phoenix to campaign for Harris.

Ford traveled to Columbus in May and Dallas in September for his own fundraisers.

His campaign said family members joined him on some trips, but they paid their own way.

In total, Ford reported $514,100 in campaign contributions in 2024, with some individual contributions of as much as $10,000 and others of as little as $10 a month. He reported spending $284,100, of which $82,100 was related to travel. Flights alone cost $30,200.

Reportedly, Ford was able to use ZOOM or virtually attend 19 out of 21 state meetings for a variety of state agencies. But, who wants to travel in Nevada when a week in Martha’s Vineyard or the Kentucky Derby is calling?

In a statement to the Review Journal, Sims boasted about Ford’s record: “From winning record opioid settlements to protecting Nevada from federal overreach to putting child predators in jail and cracking down on human and fentanyl trafficking – his record is clear: fighting for Nevada without fear or favor.”

John Burke with Nevada Better PAC added that Ford’s travels “made a mockery of public service…In any private sector job, he would have been fired long ago. Sadly, Ford thinks he deserves a promotion.”