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Why AP called Nevada governor for Joe Lombardo

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Joe Lombardo outpaced Nevada Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak in the newly counted votes coming in from the state's biggest counties.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Joe Lombardo outpaced Nevada Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak in the newly counted votes coming in from the state's biggest counties.

The Associated Press determined that votes from Las Vegas' Clark County and Reno's Washoe County weren't being won by Sisolak by large enough margins to make up the incumbent's difference with Lombardo given the number of outstanding ballots.

That’s why AP called the race Friday for Lombardo.

The count of ballots in Nevada took several days partly due to a provision of a mail voting law passed in 2020 that requires counties to accept ballots postmarked by Election Day if they arrive up to four days later.

Elections authorities in Clark and Washoe counties, the state’s most heavily populated, warned up front that it would take days to process all the ballots again this year.

Lombardo, the sheriff of the county that includes Las Vegas, praised former President Donald Trump as “ the greatest president,” after declining to say he was “great” during his and Sisolak's only debate.

The about-face came as Lombardo sought to secure the fervently pro-Trump base in what appeared to be a close contest with the Democratic incumbent.

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AP journalist Mike Catalini can be reached at https://twitter.com/mikecatalini.

AP journalist Meg Kinnard can be reached at https://twitter.com/megkinnardap.

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Check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the 2022 midterm elections. Follow AP’s coverage of the 2022 midterm elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections

Mike Catalini And Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press

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