Nevada’s gubernatorial race remains too close to call six weeks before early voting begins, according to a poll conducted earlier this month by Emerson College Polling.

The latest poll, conducted in cooperation with KLAS-TV, showed Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford with 44 percent support, up from 41 percent in November, and Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo with 42 percent support, up from 41 percent in November.

Poll findings were unveiled Thursday.

The 2-point difference between the two candidates remains within the poll’s so-called “credibility interval” of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points, leaving the race a dead heat, according to Emerson Polling.

Eleven percent of voters polled said they were undecided, down from 18 percent in November, according to the poll of 680 likely voters conducted Sept. 5-8. Early voting begins on Oct. 17.

“No amount of campaign cash from Trump’s billionaire friends will distract voters from the reality: under Joe Lombardo, Nevada families are paying more and struggling to find work, while Lombardo puts cheerleading for Trump over serving working families,” said Zoë Kleinfeld, Ford’s campaign manager, in a statement.

Lombardo’s campaign declined to comment on the Emerson College poll, but a political action committee backing his campaign released a statement citing a poll by the Tarrance Group, which bills itself as a trusted name in Republican research and polling, that showed Lombardo leading Ford 53 percent to 47 percent.

“High-Flying Aaron Ford’s desperate campaign has stalled out while Governor Joe Lombardo continues to get bipartisan results for Nevada families,” said Lombardo-backing Better Nevada PAC spokesman John Burke. “While Ford runs to become Gavin Newsom’s puppet in Nevada, Governor Lombardo is fighting for working Nevadans; that’s why he’s going to be re-elected this November.”

The poll also found that 42.7 percent of those participating in the survey listed the economy — jobs, inflation and taxes — as the most important issue facing Nevada. Housing affordability was picked by 15.2 percent and health care by 10.5 percent.

A majority of Nevadans surveyed, or 59 percent, said they opposed data centers in or around their neighborhoods, with 31 percent saying they supported data centers, according to Emerson Polling. Opposition was highest among Democrats (72 percent) and independents (61 percent), while Republicans were split: 44 percent supporting and 43 percent opposing.

Favorability rates

About half of voters questioned in the new poll said they held Lombardo (49 percent) in favorable terms, with 39 percent holding an unfavorable view of him, according to the poll.

His approval rating stood at 40 percent, with 39 percent of respondents disapproving; 21 percent of respondents said they were neutral.

Ford had a 41 percent favorable rating and a 38 percent unfavorable rating. Survey takers weren’t questioned on his job approval.

“Looking into the bases of support for each candidate, Aaron Ford holds a 31-point lead among Hispanic voters, 51 percent to 20 percent, and an 11-point lead among women, 48 percent to 37 percent,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, in a statement. “Lombardo, conversely, has a 13-point lead among white voters, 51 percent to 38 percent, and leads men by six, 47 percent to 41 percent.”

Emerson Polling surveyed 238 Democrats, 238 Republicans and 208 voters who identified themselves as independents or other.

Among independents, 36.4 percent said they would vote for Lombardo if the election were held today, while 34.6 percent said they’d vote for Ford — and 22.8 percent said they remained undecided, according to the survey.

Those nonpartisan voters made up 38.6 percent of Nevada’s registered voters in August, with Democrats and Republicans each accounting for about 27.6 percent of the electorate, according to secretary of state data.

Trump, Nevada’s U.S. senators also rated

The same poll showed that 37 percent of Nevadans approve of President Donald Trump, who has a 55 percent disapproval rating.

About 76 percent of Nevada Republicans said they approved of the president’s job performance, with 17.5 percent said they disapproved, according to the poll. Among Democratic voters, 88 percent said they disapproved of his performance and 7.5 percent said they approved. Among independent voters, 61.4 percent said they disapproved of his performance, while 26.9 percent said they approved.

U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen held 39 percent and 37 percent approval ratings, respectively. About 37 percent of respondents disapproved of Cortez Masto, while 38 percent said they disapproved of Rosen.

About one-in-four registered voters surveyed said they viewed both senators in neutral terms.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.