PAC boosting third-party NV governor candidate as 'AOC of Nevada' has GOP ties

A new campaign mailer calling Nevada nonpartisan governor candidate Danielle Ford the "AOC of Nevada" is backed by a newly formed political action committee with apparent ties to Republican political operatives.

The mailer, which features a cutout of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) standing next to Ford against a bold red background, was paid for by the Silver State Accountability political action committee. The PAC was created on Oct. 8 and has no online footprint — even its website listed on registration paperwork (silverstateaccountability.com) is under construction as of Tuesday. 

Mike Casca, a spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez, said Danielle Ford has never contacted or spoken to the congresswoman, who is supporting Democratic candidate and Attorney General Aaron Ford in the race. 

"This mailer is a disgusting attempt to trick Nevada voters," Casca said. "Rep. Ocasio-Cortez is not supporting Danielle Ford for governor and any vote for Danielle is a vote for Trump's biggest fan Joe Lombardo." 

Ford, a member of the state board of education and past trustee on the Clark County School District Board, has raised relatively little in her long-shot independent bid for governor, but she shares the same surname as the Democratic governor candidate, which could confuse voters. 

She did not immediately respond to an email through what appears to be a press contact, a message on the social media platform X or a voicemail.

The PAC boosting her is known as a "shadow PAC" because its registrants exploited a loophole in state law by setting it up after Sept. 30, missing Nevada's campaign finance reporting deadline and avoiding donor reporting before Election Day. However, its registration form lists an address tied to a mailbox office rental company in the same commercial complex as Gov. Joe Lombardo's (R) campaign office, and the registered agents appear to have ties to Republicans.

With recent polling showing the governor's race a "tossup," boosting Danielle Ford among left-leaning voters could be an attempt to muddy the waters. In competitive races nationwide, candidates with the same last name have confused voters and even led to a disqualification. It's also not the first time it's happened in Nevada: in 2022, Democratic groups spent six figures boosting a "Patriot Freedom Fund" shadow PAC that bashed then-candidate Lombardo from the right.

Aaron Ford campaign spokesperson Tai Sims called Danielle Ford a "MAGA plant being propped up by Joe Lombardo's Republican allies."

Halee Dobbins, a spokesperson for Gov. Joe Lombardo's (R) campaign, told The Nevada Independent that the campaign had no knowledge of the PAC or mailer.

Danielle Ford and the PAC

Hope Hohnke is listed as the PAC's registered agent. Reached by The Indy on Tuesday, Hohnke directed reporters to the PAC's chairman, Dustin McIntyre. Hohnke lives in Oklahoma and said she was not the point person for the PAC. She shared McIntyre's email and did not answer questions about her party registration, the PAC's purpose or ties to the Republican Party.

McIntyre did not return an email seeking comment. He's listed as treasurer for nearly 80 PACs across the country, most with Republican ties, including as the treasurer for Save Nevada NOW, a PAC run by Assm. Lisa Cole (R-Las Vegas), which The Nevada Independent previously reported was partially funded by a conservative dark money group. Other PACs McIntyre has registered have sent attack mailers against Nevada Democrats in recent weeks.

Ford does not appear to have previously connected herself to Ocasio-Cortez's politics. Instead, she has embraced a variety of conspiracy theories, including claiming that anyone who believed the "official story" of Sept. 11, 2001, is a "moron," opposing vaccines and voting against mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for employees at the Clark County School District. In 2011, she also called former President Barack Obama (D) a "douchehead."

As a Clark County School Board trustee, Danielle Ford also called black students "colored" during a community meeting about racist threats against a local school, prompting calls for her resignation. 

Commenters on Danielle Ford's Facebook videos have called her "our little version of AOC" and "our AOC", both of which were liked or hearted by her Facebook page.

Casca, the spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez, said she "urges everyone who wants to support a true fighter for the working class to vote for Aaron Ford for governor."

This story was updated at 1:55 p.m. on 10/20/2026 to include a statement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).