Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco Officially Announces Bid For Governor

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco announced on Monday that he would be running for Governor next year, becoming the first major Republican to join the race.

Speculation that Bianco, a longtime supporter of Donald Trump and longtime critic of Governor Gavin Newsom, would run has been rampant for months. Prior to last week, Bianco was only publicly expressing interest in becoming Governor. While a run was possible, so was Bianco finishing off his current term of Sheriff, which is currently set to end following the 2028 election. However, Bianco then said last week that he would be announcing his run on February 17th.

On Monday, Sheriff Bianco followed through, announcing before over 1,500 supporters at Avila’s Historic 1929 in Riverside of his candidacy for Governor.

“I am running for Governor because our beautiful state – which I absolutely love – is heading down the wrong track and has been for years,” said Bianco during his speech on Monday. “Everyone knows it, except those sitting in the Sacramento echo chamber. For decades the party in complete control of our state government has tried the same failed ideas and implemented the same failed policies.

“Californians want leadership that actually cares about the cost of living… and leaders who will do something about it. We want homes we can afford. We want air conditioning when it’s hot, not rolling blackouts. We want water for the crops and animals that feed us. We want the opportunity to achieve the California Dream, not be prevented from it because of red tape and regulation from government. We want honesty and transparency from our elected officials. We want lower taxes and less government waste. We want sanity restored and common sense to prevail.

“Those currently in power are completely out of touch. But they are not out of reach. Californians deserve a change of direction in order to get our state back on track. I promise to campaign for Governor with everything I have. We will take our message of restoring sanity to every corner of our great state. Our campaign will succeed because it must succeed – the future of California and America depends on it.”

Bianco also later added remarks in a statement.

“This is not going to be about party politics, this is going to be about fixing a broken state to make this the state that everyone in the country wants to come to,” added the Sheriff. “I’m tired of my friends leaving the state. I’m tired of watching my friend’s kids leave the state. We need to bring them all back with sanity and the promise that California is and once again will be the best state in this country.

“Today we fire up the machine that will restore the promise to all Californians that the dream is still alive. As I watched over the past year or so as career politicians, millionaires and billionaires have positioned themselves as the governor-elect position of 2026, I realized that we are blindly continuing down this path of destruction. The same people responsible for the past 20 years of failed government all want the top position.”

During his speech in Riverside, Bianco was flanked by several lawmakers, showing early significant backing. This included Congressman Ken Calvert (R-CA), Senator Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta), Assemblymembers Greg Wallis (R-Bermuda Dunes), Jeff Gonzalez (R-Coachella), Leticia Castillo (R-Riverside) Bill Essayli (R-Corona) and Riverside District Attorney Michael Hestrin.

Bianco officially enters the race

With Bianco now officially in the race, he becomes the first prominent Republican with elected experience in it, joining high-profile Democratic candidates Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis,  State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, Senator Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), Former State Controller Betty Yee, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. However, Bianco is likely not to be the last prominent Republican to enter the race, as State Senator and 2022 Gubernatorial candidate Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), former Olympian and 2021 Gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner, Fox New Host and former advisor to UK Prime Minister David Cameron Steve Hilton, and Special Presidential Envoy and former Ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell have all announced possible runs. The race could also prove to be trickier should either of the Democrat’s possible candidates, former Congresswoman Katie Porter and former Vice President Kamala Harris, decide to throw their hat in the ring.

As of Monday afternoon, Bianco is the most conservative candidate in the race. Sheriff of Riverside County since 2018, Bianco has been a major critic of the SB 54 sanctuary law, has said that he will work with ICE as much as legally possible under state sanctuary laws, and was one of the leading forces behind the landslide passage of Prop 36, which enhances state theft and drug laws.

“A lot of Republican voters and independent voters wanting more of a choice have been itching for a candidate like Bianco to enter the race,” said Stephanie Lewis, a pollster in Southern California, to the Globe on Monday. “No one wanted a race with just different degrees of Democrats in the race. And Bianco, a major Trump supporter and tough on crime sheriff, fit that bill.

“Republican candidates in 2026 come into the race high off of an incredible 2024 election in which they did so much better than expected in California. Should one of their candidates make it to the primary, which is almost a given considering the large number of Democratic candidates, they’re likely going to have the most successful GOP run for Governor since 2006, the last time a Republican was elected Governor.

“Things can certainly change. Harris or Porter entering the race would throw everything off. As would a major Republican player like Grenell or Hilton coming in. We can also have an out of nowhere candidate come in. Already we have people calling on Mel Gibson to run, which would certainly thrust the race into the national spotlight.

“But bringing it back to Bianco, you know, he may be too right for some potential voters. This is still a blue state, and based on recent polls, people like Harris would easily win. But he offers that different choice, and has this race have candidates from across the political spectrum now. He’s also a major critic of Newsom. Democratic candidates had been hoping to avoid criticizing him too much. Someone like Bianco in the race shatters that, and could lead to some fierce debates. Having Harris or Porter or Villaraigosa facing off against Bianco or Grenell or even Gibson would be one hell of a debate and create one of the most exciting Gubernatorial races in recent history. It all just depends who else officially enters now.”