Governor Joe Lombardo holds a significant position in the Nevada Republican Party, given that he is the highest-elected Republican in the state. But Lombardo and Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald disagree over the party's current presidential nominating process.

Lombardo recently sat down with Nevada Newsmakers host Sam Shad and expressed his opposition to the Nevada GOP's decision to organize a party-run caucus just two days after the state-mandated February 6th Presidential Preference Primary (PPP).

"I think we can all surmise the need, the reason why it was brought forward, but I think it's detrimental to the candidates and their inability to be apart of both the processes. So, if you decide to be in the primary process, you can't participate in the caucus, if you're in the caucus you can't participate in the primary, I think that's unacceptable for the voters and the understanding of how things should be done," said (R-NV) Governor Joe Lombardo.

During his Nevada Newsmakers' interview, Governor Lombardo expressed concerns that holding both the caucus and primary could confuse voters, leading to disenfranchisement. Lombardo also highlighted how the rules prohibiting candidates from participating in both contests limit voters' options, which could adversely impact the overall outcome.

"I think it will just continues in the disarray or the chaos that is occurring currently in the Republican party," said Lombardo.

Nevada Republican National Committeewoman Sigal Chattah told 2 News that the Nevada GOP has a constitutional right to engage in the caucus. 

The reason why the Nevada GOP is holding a caucus which was precedented in all previous years was because under our party platform we ensure election security and oversight by requiring voter ID. We ensure against interference of same day registration," explained Nevada RNC Committeewoman Sigal Chattah. 

She outlined the Nevada GOP's decision with a few main points that we have abbreviated for simplicity.

- Firstly, the caucus is believed to ensures election security and oversight by requiring voter ID.

- Secondly, while the state primary allows same-day registration, the caucus prohibits it in order to prevent outside voter influence.

- Thirdly, the caucus is expected to provide quicker results on election day, whereas the primary could take longer to yield results.

Nevada GOP chairman Michael McDonald explained to us that the caucus aligns with Governor Lombardo's election integrity plan under Senate Bill-405 which failed in the 2023 Nevada Legislature. 

"Governor Lombardo last session tried to put in a legislation that made it pure for voters, tried to make it transparent. He wanted voter ID, he wanted clear transparency on the voting and this does exactly that. In order to participate in the caucus, you have to be Republican, you have to show your ID," said Nevada Republican Chairman Michael McDonald.

In a statement, the Governor's Communications Director Elizabeth Ray told us, "Governor Lombardo has consistently stated that he would like to see all candidates engage with all Republican voters. The process that has been put in place makes that impossible."

Republican Nevada Senate Minority Leader Heidi Gansert also favors the primary over the caucus. She was a member of the 2021 Nevada Legislature when the state voted to move to a Presidential Preference Primary (PPP). 

"I can tell you that I supported the election because I think people want to have a confidential vote, so I think Republicans should be voting in a primary election as it was passed in statute in 2021," said (R-Reno) Senate Minority Leader Heidi Gansert.Â