Sheriff Chad Bianco To Run For Governor Of California: Announcement

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA—A year before the 2026 primary, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco formally declared his intent to run for governor of California. At that President's Day event in Riverside, Bianco pledged to change direction and reform the Golden State's laws to ensure public safety across the state, once again.

Thousands of supporters gathered to hear the announcement and show their support at the Avila's Historic 1929 event center on Mission Inn Avenue in Riverside.

"I am running for governor because our beautiful state —which I absolutely love — is heading down the wrong track and has been for years. Everyone knows it, except those sitting in the Sacramento echo chamber," Bianco, a Republican, said in his campaign announcement.

"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 the 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," he added.

Bianco, 57, was joined by his family, several area elected officials, and several hundred supporters.

Before Monday's announcement, Bianco released a statement, saying that as Sheriff, he "faces the reality of California's failed public policies on a daily basis. He has been a strong voice for reforming state law to once again ensure public safety across California. Most recently, he was a leader and vocal advocate for Proposition 36, which overwhelmingly passed in November and has started to return common sense to criminal sentencing laws."

Bianco used his support for Proposition 36 during Monday's announcement to contrast himself with Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who cannot run for re-election due to term limits of that office.

"We knew it was going to succeed despite resounding support up and down the state," he said. "Governor Newsom opposed Prop 36 ... those others running for governor opposed Prop 36."

Bianco was elected sheriff in 2018 amid backing from the deputies' union, the Riverside Sheriffs' Association. He had previously run unsuccessfully against then-Sheriff Stan Sniff in 2014.

Bianco, who has been in law enforcement for more than three decades, has managed the sheriff's department budget without deficits, generally returning some funds to the county treasury each fiscal year.

However, the agency's spending thresholds have grown every year he has been at the helm.

Despite that, the county's correctional capacity has remained constrained. Two-thirds of the Benoit Detention Center in Indio remains inoperable due to a lack of staffing.

Bianco is the highest-paid elected official in county government, netting a composite income of $593,518 in 2023, according to payroll figures released by the California State Controller's Office.

In Riverside County, Bianco's tough-on-crime stance has resonated with many residents. Other aspects of his personality haven't always endeared him to observers, including a loose affiliation with the Oath Keepers, a right-leaning organization known for seeming indefinite loyalty to President Donald Trump, which has elicited criticism in some quarters.

Bianco has made his preference for Trump crystal clear, proudly endorsing him and appearing with him at campaign events, most recently one in October at Calhoun Ranch in Coachella, where an invited Nevada Republican activist, Vem Miller, drove into a VIP parking lot with two guns in the back of his pickup, sparking alarm about a possible assault on the then-presidential candidate.

Bianco almost immediately stated that I "probably did have deputies that prevented the third assassination attempt. I truly do believe that we prevented another assassination attempt."

After federal investigators found no evidence to support the sheriff's claims, Bianco walked them back. He acknowledged that Miller likely wasn't at the event to perpetrate any type of violence.

Miller was charged in December with misdemeanor illegal possession of a loaded firearm, and since has filed suit against sued the sheriff for civil rights violations.

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Bianco joined multiple sheriffs statewide in vociferously opposing the use of law enforcement resources to enforce mask mandates and curfews, earning him national plaudits among civil libertarians and others negatively impacted by the restrictions. However, some lawmakers viewed Bianco's and the other sheriffs' positions as detrimental to public health policies.

The sheriff has manifested regular distaste for Newsom, saying in an interview last April that "we don't agree on much of anything."

"He's supposed to be the leader of this state," Bianco said. "The reality of Californians is, we all know this (increasing drug addiction, homelessness and property crime) is a mess. Everyone knows it's a mess, including Sacramento."

Two months later, he told one news outlet, "California is starving for something different. Our options so far -- we don't have new options."

Former Assembly Speaker and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former state Controller Betty Yee are among the Democrats who have declared their candidacies.

Bianco is the first prominent Republican to have declared his candidacy.

The primary will be held June 2, 2026. The top two finishers, regardless of party, will advance to the general election, which will be held Nov. 3, 2026.

City News Service Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.

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