Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco Set To Announce Run For Governor

According to multiple sources, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is set to announce his candidacy for Governor in the 2026 Gubernatorial election on Monday.

Bianco, a long time supporter of President Donald Trump, has been a part of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department since 1993. In 2018, Bianco was elected Sheriff, defeating Stan Sniff with over 58% of the vote. Two years later, Bianco first made national news by refusing to enforce coronavirus during the COVID-19 pandemic. This drew the attention of Fox News, where he was hosted several times by the network. Bianco subsequently won reelection in 2022 with over 60% of the vote amidst an investigation into a high number of inmate deaths in Riverside County jails. Last year, Bianco was also one of the leading forces behind the landslide passage of Prop 36, which enhances state theft and drug laws.

Most recently, Bianco has come forward as a major critic of the SB 54 sanctuary law, saying that it forces ICE to go into communities to make arrests and that risk could be mitigated if local law enforcement assisted them. In addition, he has been shown to be closer to Trump, as he was at the White House earlier this month attending the signing of the Laken Riley Act, which mandates the detention of illegal immigrants convicted or charged with crimes around theft. And just last week, Bianco made it clear in an announcement that while the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department will not be engaging in immigration enforcement, they will be cooperating with ICE as much as legally possible under the state sanctuary law.

“Over the past several weeks, there has been an alarming increase in the concern over law enforcement and immigration,” said Bianco last week. “Let me make this perfectly clear. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and your deputies have not, are not and will not engage in any type of immigration enforcement. That is the sole responsibility of the federal government.

“Stories of deputies conducting raids at schools, businesses and churches are simply not true. I will do everything I can, within the confines of the sanctuary state laws of California, to cooperate with ICE to remove criminals from our jails.”

This led to Wednesday when multiple sources close to Bianco said that the Sheriff will be running for Governor in 2026. Multiple sites, including Eventbrite, have been promoting February 17th as the date he will formally announce. Sources close to Bianco have confirmed the date as well.

Bianco to enter race

Once announced, Bianco will become the first major GOP candidate to formally enter the race, joining three other Republicans including Vice President of Zacky Farms Leo Zacky, former judge Jimmy Parker and business consultant Sharifah Hardie. Of them, only Bianco has achieved electoral success.

Other GOP candidates are expected to make their decisions soon, including State Senator and 2022 Gubernatorial candidate Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), former Olympian and 2021 Gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner, and Fox New Host and former advisor to UK Prime Minister David Cameron Steve Hilton. In addition, other well known candidates may also run, thanks to a strong 2024 performance by Republicans in California and Governor Gavin Newsom facing another possible recall election.

In addition, Bianco will be an opponent to the large number of Democratic candidates in the race. As of Wednesday afternoon,  the list includes 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. And, while some, including Attorney General Rob Bonta, are now out, other large names may soon be entering the race. Most notably, former Congresswoman Katie Porter and former Vice President Kamala Harris have both yet to say one way or another if they will be running in 2026.

However, Bianco’s impending announcement has relieved many voters, with a nationally known GOP candidate entering the race.

“I’m sure the party would like a few other candidates to step up, but Bianco entering the race should excite at least some Republicans here,” said Stephanie Lewis, a pollster in Southern California, to the Globe on Wednesday. “First of all, let’s get that confirmation from him that he is running. But if he does, the question then becomes if he is too far right to challenge the Democratic candidate whoever it should be.

“It’s a jungle primary, but let’s be fair here. With all those Democrats duking it out, a Republican is all but guaranteed to get one of the two top spots. And this is California, so a lot of people will just vote Democrat regardless. But take a look at the election last year here. The GOP came out very strong. Trump had his best year yet in terms of votes and support. The Assembly started getting a few more GOP members. Hispanic voters were shown to be voting more Republican. And since the gubernatorial race is the next big one, the GOP needs to capitalize on this growing wave.

“So would Bianco be too far right? Would the GOP need a more moderate candidate to offer a challenge, or is someone like Bianco their best shot in galvanizing support? I’m a pollster, so we’ll need a more confirmed list of candidates first to make any sort of decision. If Harris or Porter enter, the race will be tilted sideways. Same if the Republicans put in a few more bigger names. There’s still too many variables out there.

“But, should Bianco announce his run on Monday, it will show that the GOP has big names coming out again. That they aren’t going away. And a debate between Bianco and, say, Harris would be pretty invigorating.”