“Concerned” Lombardo Relies on Dark Money Slush Fund to Spew Lies About His Failing Record

New reporting highlights the self-serving impact of Joe Lombardo bucking bipartisan precedent and registering his inaugural committee as a dark money group. With zero transparency, his dark money scheme has taken to the airwaves — painting a false picture of his economy while sucking up to Donald Trump. In reality, Nevada has the highest unemployment rate of any state in the nation, gas is over $5 per gallon in multiple counties, and inflation just jumped to a three-year high. 

In his first State of the State Address, Lombardo claimed that his administration would govern with “transparency, candor, and integrity” — but when asked if he would use dark money, Lombardo replied “I’m going to use everything available to ensure success.” He also vetoed SB60 in 2023 and SB414 in 2025, which would have required constitutional officers, including himself, to disclose their inaugural committee donors.

Lombardo’s dark money slush fund is the latest example of his shady dealings as he continues to keep Nevadans in the dark. Limited tax documents show that of the $5.72 million spent by Service First Fund, formerly Nevada Inaugural Committee, only $1.25 million was actually spent on Lombardo’s inaugural activities in 2022 and into 2023. 

Open Secrets: How casino cash, corporate bundling, and dark money are powering Joe Lombardo’s reelection bid in Nevada

• A dark money group has also emerged as a big spender in the Nevada governor race. Its origins? A nonprofit inaugural committee fund tracing back to Lombardo.
  
• The Service First Fund, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, is responsible for $4 million in advertising, over half of the ad spending in the race.
  
• The Service First Fund 501(c)(4) was started in 2022 under the name “Nevada Inaugural Committee,” to run events for the newly elected governor.
  
• Because 501(c)(4) nonprofits are not generally required to publicly disclose their donors, they are often referred to as “dark money” groups. PACs, by contrast, must report their donors under state campaign finance laws.
  
• Just two months after Lombardo’s inauguration in January 2023, the nonprofit changed its name to The Service First Fund. Two months after that, Lombardo vetoed a bill that would have required the disclosure of donors to the nonprofit.
  
• Since then, The Service First Fund has increased its expenditures, more than doubling spending from $1.6 million in 2023 to $3.8 million in 2024. Now, as Lombardo seeks to hold onto his governorship, the dark money group has poured more than $4 million into advertising garnering support for the candidate.

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