Nevada treasurer announces bid for attorney general

Nevada State Treasurer Zach Conine announced Wednesday that he plans to run for state attorney general in 2026.

“Nevadans deserve an Attorney General who will fight every day to protect their rights, ensure equal justice under the law, and stand up to powerful interests when they threaten our communities,” Conine said in a statement.

Conine, a Democrat, has served as the state treasurer for the past six years. He took Nevada’s rainy day fund from empty to more than $1 billion, generated more than a billion dollars worth of investment returns and returned hundreds of millions of dollars in unclaimed property to Nevadans, he said in a Wednesday phone interview.

As attorney general, Conine said he wants to continue to deliver for Nevadans, help small businesses and fight against federal government overreach, he said.

In his “elevator pitch” campaign announcement posted Wednesday, Conine pledged to take on corporations taking advantage of working people, to protect schools and workers from unlawful federal cuts and make sure Nevadans have access to clean air and water.

“If (President Donald) Trump or (billionaire) Elon (Musk) or anyone messes with Nevada, we will see them in court,” he said in his campaign video.

Conine seeks to succeed Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford, who has announced he plans to run for governor against Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo in 2026. Term limits prevent Conine and Ford from seeking re-election to their current offices.

If elected, Conine wants to enhance the work Ford has done, he said.

“He fought for Nevadans against opioids, he fought for Nevadans against businesses that were trying to damage Nevada citizens and frankly, making it harder for good businesses to be successful,” Conine said of Ford.

Conine added that he thinks the many lawsuits Ford has filed on behalf of Nevada against the Trump administration are necessary, and as treasurer he has has helped ensure Ford has all the information he needed for the case on tariffs and the case on federal overreach.

“It is very important that we do not cede an inch of ground to a federal government that is seeking to destroy us, to destroy the Nevada way of life,” Conine said. “And I’m eternally grateful that Attorney General Ford is picking the fights that he is picking, and I look forward to making sure that we continue to refute that case when I’m attorney general.”

As state treasurer, Conine also oversaw the issuance of over $2 billion in bonds to finance construction of nearly 10,000 affordable housing units, and oversaw the Pandemic Emergency Technical Support Grant Program, which distributed over $100 million to more than 9,400 businesses, according to his campaign.

Prior to serving as state treasurer, Conine had a career in the gaming, finance and consulting sectors. He graduated from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and UNLV’s Boyd School of Law.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.