The Oath Keepers are a far‑right, anti‑government organization founded in 2009 that says its mission is to defend the U.S. Constitution — but whose members and leaders have been closely tied to extremist activity, including the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The group returned to the spotlight this week after Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican candidate for California governor in the 2026 race, said during a nationally televised debate that he was “very proud” of his past membership, rather than distancing himself from the organization.
Here’s what to know about the Oath Keepers and Bianco.
Who is Chad Bianco?
Chad Bianco is the elected sheriff of Riverside County, first winning office in 2018 and reelected in 2022. A Republican running for governor in 2026, he has built a profile around hard‑line, “law‑and‑order” positions, including opposition to COVID‑19 mandates and California’s criminal‑justice reforms, casting himself as an outsider willing to challenge state institutions.
Bianco has drawn controversy over his handling of a 2025 special election, when his office seized more than 650,000 ballots and election materials months after the vote had already been certified. Bianco said claims of discrepancies in ballot counts prompted the move and has argued California’s voting systems may be flawed, though he says he does not believe voters committed fraud.
State election officials and voting‑rights experts sharply disputed his claims, calling the discrepancies routine. Attorney General Rob Bonta labeled the seizure unprecedented and unlawful, and a judge later put the investigation on hold amid legal challenges.
What are the Oath Keepers?
The Oath Keepers describe themselves as a nonpartisan association of current and former military, law‑enforcement and first responders who pledge to uphold the Constitution.
The group emphasizes opposition to what it characterizes as unconstitutional government actions, and its rhetoric has long focused on resisting federal authority, gun regulation, and emergency orders.
Civil‑rights researchers and federal prosecutors, however, have described the organization as an extremist militia that has increasingly embraced paramilitary organizing and conspiracy‑driven views of government power.
Why are The Oath Keepers controversial?
The controversy stems largely from the Oath Keepers’ role in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack, when members of the group moved in coordinated formations and were later accused of planning to use force to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election.
Federal juries convicted the group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, and several other members of seditious conspiracy, a rarely used felony charge tied to attempts to oppose the authority of the U.S. government by force. Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison before later clemency actions affected some Jan. 6 cases. [
While some convictions have since been subject to dismissals or vacatur following presidential clemency actions, prosecutors have repeatedly described the Oath Keepers as one of the most organized militant groups involved in Jan. 6.
How did Chad Bianco become involved with The Oath Keepers?
Bianco has acknowledged that he was a dues‑paying Oath Keepers member in 2014, describing it as a one‑year, $40 membership that he did not renew. He has said he left after concluding the group “did not offer him anything.”
In the years since — particularly after the Jan. 6 attack — Bianco has sought to separate the group’s stated mission from the actions of individual members, urging critics to focus on its published emphasis on defending the Constitution.
What happened at the 2026 gubernatorial debate?
During a May 2026 CNN debate, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa confronted Bianco, saying, “You’re an Oath Keeper. We all know that.”
Rather than disavow the affiliation, Bianco responded, “I’m very proud of it,” and told viewers he had sworn multiple oaths to defend the Constitution. When pressed by moderator Kaitlan Collins about whether he meant the organization itself, Bianco said voters should read the group’s mission statement.
Villaraigosa countered that he did not believe “an Oath Keeper is qualified to be governor,” while fellow candidate Xavier Becerra called Bianco’s response “chilling.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Oath Keepers resurface after Chad Bianco says he’s ‘very proud’
Reporting by James Ward, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
