Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who’s been trailing the frontrunners in the California governor’s race in recent polls, took a swipe at fellow GOP candidate Steve Hilton over the weekend, saying his endorsement from President Donald Trump will keep him from winning independent and Democratic voters in California.
The top two Republican contenders for governor largely kept their discussion civil during a forum hosted by the Fresno County and City Republican Women Federated on Friday, agreeing on many issues and blaming Democrats for failing to address California’s problems, according to a report from The Fresno Bee.
But the discussion became more contentious near the end of the forum, when Bianco questioned whether Trump’s endorsement of Hilton, a former Fox News commentator, was a good thing for his campaign.
“While Steve should rightfully be proud, rightfully be proud of being endorsed by President Trump, we have to actually realize, is that a good thing in California?” Bianco said, according to the Fresno Bee.
While the crowd cheered, Bianco said he can draw independents and Democrats to vote for him, and Hilton cannot due to his support from Trump.
“There’s not a Democrat strategist in the state or a Republican strategist in the state that believes that a Democrat is going to cross party lines to support President Trump, and this is absolutely no offense, because I love Steve. They’re not going to support a candidate supported by a president who used to be a Fox News host,” Bianco said.
Bianco has been a vocal supporter of Trump in recent years, speaking at his presidential campaign rally in Coachella in 2024. That year, he also posted a video on social media saying: “I think it’s time to put a felon in the White House. Trump 2024, baby. Let’s save this country and make America great again.”
Despite Bianco’s past support, Trump endorsed Hilton as his pick for California governor in early April, calling him “a truly fine man, one who has watched as this once great State has gone to Hell.”
“People are fleeing, crime is increasing, and Taxes are the highest of any State in the Country, maybe the World. Steve can turn it around, before it is too late, and, as President, I will help him to do so!” Trump said. “With Federal help, and a Great Governor, like Steve Hilton, California can be better than ever before!”
Bianco responded to the endorsement on social media, saying the governor’s race “is about the future of California, not any one endorsement.”
“For too long, politicians and insiders from Sacramento to Washington have tried to pick our leaders for us,” Bianco said. “That’s not leadership; that’s a coronation, and it’s exactly how we ended up with the failed leadership Californians are living with today.”
“Quite frankly, I have repeatedly said that a Fox News host courting a president’s endorsement will never win in California,” Bianco added.
Since gaining Trump’s endorsement, Hilton has consistently been in the top two of recent polls, with Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer also emerging as leading contenders in the race.
The latest poll released last week by California Democrats showed Hilton with 22% of likely voters, followed by Becerra with 21% and Steyer with 15%. Bianco was polling at 10%, down 4 percentage points from previous tracking polls.
Bianco called polls showing he is losing support “fake,” according to The Fresno Bee. He also criticized Hilton as a “career politician strategist” who failed in England.
Before Friday’s forum, Hilton told The Fresno Bee that he thinks it’s likely only one Republican will advance in California’s primary system, in which the top two finishes advance to the November election regardless of party.
“The other Republican in the race doesn’t have the ability to get into the top two. This is the only hope for California to get the change they really need,” Hilton said.
With vote-by-mail ballots already arriving in voters’ mailboxes this month, the statewide primary will conclude with Election Day on June 2.
Tom Coulter covers local government and politics for The Desert Sun. Reach him at tcoulter@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Bianco says Hilton’s Trump endorsement a liability in governor’s race
Reporting by Tom Coulter, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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