A popular sheriff in Southern California is reportedly considering running on the GOP ticket for governor in 2026, according to a campaign source speaking to CBS.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco – an open supporter of President Trump – may make such an announcement as soon as next week, per the report, and this possibility has rocked the political world of California.
So far, rumored gubernatorial candidates have included Democrat former Vice President Kamala Harris and far-left state Attorney General Rob Bonta.
Bianco gained national attention during the Covid pandemic when he released a video ensuring county residents that while the virus should be treated with caution, he administered the agency’s duties with common sense amid California Governor Gavin Newsom’s stringent lockdown policies – particularly with regard to regulations prohibiting in-person gatherings.
“We will not be setting up any type of police state, and this is not a declaration of martial law in Riverside Country,” he said in 2020.
He also assured residents that he would not direct the department to set up checkpoints or cite parents for doing something as simple as taking a walk with their kids.
Later, in 2024, Bianco posted a video of himself online, where he offered an endorsement of President Donald Trump’s presidential bid to reclaim the White House.
“I think it’s time we put a felon in the White House – Trump 2024, baby,” Bianco said. “Let’s save this country and make America great again.”
In October 2024, Bianco also offered remarks to an energetic crowd of rallygoers in Coachella, California, during a Trump event in the desert.
“This is about the fate of the free world,” Bianco said at that time.
Just one month later, Bianco staunchly criticized California SB 54, which prevents state or local resources from assisting in federal immigration operations or enforcement. Amid President Donald Trump’s nationwide deportation operation, this topic is a serious one in the Golden State, which is considered a “sanctuary state” for illegals.
“SB 54, I will say, that it is completely broken,” Bianco commented in November, per Fox 11. “There is not one rational, sane person in this state that believes that someone should be able to come here illegally and then repeatedly victimize us and break our laws and make victims out of all of us, and that person not be deported.”