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One Republican candidate in the Golden State has begun to consistently emerge as the frontrunner in the 2026 gubernatorial race, edging out a crowded field in a jungle primary.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign, has surged ahead with 21 percent of support, according to EMC Research in an internal poll for California Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell’s campaign for governor.
Swalwell is trailing Bianco at 18 percent, while Republican candidate Steve Hilton, a political commentator, is sitting in third place at 17 percent. Former Democrat Rep. Katie Porter held 12 percent of the potential vote in their poll, with Tom Steyer and Xavier Becerra at 9 and 6 percent, respectively.
This development is big news in the longtime Democrat stronghold of California, which has not seen a Republican leader since the exit of former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2011.
“Despite leading in recent polls, I’m grateful other candidates are running,” Bianco said recently on X. “Real representation rather than coronation. Choices and battles of ideas. That’s what the voters deserve.”
As reported by RSBN, California’s gubernatorial primary system is a “jungle,” meaning that the two candidates with the most votes in the June primary will advance to the General Election in November, regardless of party affiliation.
Previously, it appeared that Steve Hilton and Sheriff Bianco were neck and neck, but as polling continues to emerge, it seems that Bianco is steadily pulling ahead, although anything could still happen.
“The chance, in this election, that you could see an all-Republican General Election – it’s sort of like flipping a coin and having it land on its edge, but it does happen once in however many tries,” California Post Opinion Editor told Fox News on Tuesday. “The top two polling candidates consistently…have been Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, both of whom are Republicans. There are so many Democrats in the race for governor that they’re thinning out the Democratic Party vote.”
While Rep. Swalwell appears to be emerging as the top contender for the Democrats’ gubernatorial aspirations in California, he is facing some scrutiny over his alleged home address. According to a complaint revealed by the Daily Mail, filmmaker Joel Gilbert has alleged that the home address Swalwell listed on his election paperwork is not accurate.
The complaint alleges that Swalwell does not live in California or hold a primary residence in the Golden State – a requirement for gubernatorial candidates. The Democrat congressman’s campaign general consultant, Kate Maeder, told the New York Post that the complaint is “nonsense,” and said Rep. Swalwell has continued to maintain a California residence.
Rep. Swalwell has served in Congress since 2012 as a California congressman. He has faced intense backlash in the past over his alleged ties to a suspected Chinese spy and honeypot, Christine Fang. According to Axios, Swalwell was investigated by the House Ethics Committee for two years before the panel concluded in 2023 that he had committed no wrongdoing.