Nevada Democrat struggles to explain incurring $185,000 in unpaid income taxes

Aaron Ford, the Democratic nominee for Nevada attorney general, is struggling to explain how he incurred over $185,000 in unpaid taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

Ford, who serves as the majority leader of the Nevada senate, had three different liens filed against him by the IRS for failing to pay over $185,000 in income taxes between 2010 and 2013, according to financial disclosures filed with the Nevada secretary of state.

The first lien was issued by the IRS against Ford in October 2013 after it was determined he failed to pay over $85,000 in taxes for income garnered between 2010 and 2011. A subsequent lien was filed in April 2014 indicating Ford owed more than $42,000 in unpaid income taxes for 2012. In December 2014, the IRS filed a third and final lien against Ford for failing to pay over $58,000 in taxes for 2013.

Ford cited the liens on official financial disclosure forms he was required by law to submit to the Nevada secretary of state's office in 2014 and 2015. The debts were not cited in Ford's 2016 financial disclosure as the liens were released that year.

When the news first broke Ford's campaign manager, Peggy Yang, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal the candidate had "faced some financial difficulties" as a result of the recession and that those "difficulties" were further complicated upon being promoted to partner at his law firm.