Body camera video obtained by the Associated Press through a public records request shows Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo being pulled over in Las Vegas on May 15 for allegedly failing to stop at a red light before making a right turn onto Giles Street near the Las Vegas Strip.
He was driving his light-gray Ford pickup truck with his wife Donna in the passenger seat.
When the officer approached and started explaining the reason for the stop, Lombardo interrupted him.
No ticket was issued. No license was checked. The stop lasted minutes.
The video surfaces two months later with the context that makes it relevant.
Lombardo, a Republican, is running for reelection in November against Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford, the same man who would, in a different Nevada, be among those most responsible for enforcing the state's traffic laws.
The Las Vegas Police Protective Association, whose union endorsed Lombardo, dismissed the significance.
"It really is a big nothing in my opinion," said president Steve Grammas, noting officers routinely use discretion to issue warnings and that the governor's clean record made running his license unnecessary. He was the former sheriff, Grammas noted. The odds of outstanding warrants were low.
Lombardo's campaign said he "fully complied with all instructions, and was promptly on his way."