New reporting shows that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a no-nonsense law-and-order conservative, is leading the early field in California’s 2026 gubernatorial primary. Bianco currently sits at 18 percent support, narrowly ahead of Republican Steve Hilton at 17 percent. Trailing behind them? A lineup of well-funded Democrats who, until recently, assumed the governor’s mansion was theirs by birthright: Katie Porter at 14 percent, Eric Swalwell at 11 percent, billionaire climate crusader Tom Steyer at 8 percent, and former Biden cabinet member Xavier Becerra limping in at 6 percent.
For many Californians, this isn’t just a poll—it’s a protest. And Bianco isn’t shy about saying so.
“This is a referendum,” the sheriff declared. “This is California rejecting the anti-ICE, anti-business, anti-female, anti-gun policies of Gavin Newsom.” In a state ravaged by crime, homelessness, unaffordable housing, collapsing infrastructure, and a mass exodus of middle-class families, that message appears to be landing.
Bianco has positioned himself as the antidote to the progressive orthodoxy that has dominated California for decades. His platform reads like a direct rebuke of the Newsom era: ending sanctuary policies, restoring cooperation with ICE, slashing taxes—including a push to end the state income tax—cutting suffocating regulations, unleashing domestic energy production, and breaking the grip of special interests that have turned California into the most expensive state in the nation to live and do business.
Social media lit up after the numbers dropped. “BREAKING PER POLITICO: A REPUBLICAN Chad Bianco leads California’s gubernatorial race,” one widely shared post read, listing the full field and underscoring just how far Democrats have fallen in a state they once controlled without challenge.
Conservatives wasted no time pointing out the weakness of the Democratic bench. Katie Porter, long portrayed by the media as a progressive darling, has become infamous for toxic workplace allegations and staff turnover. Eric Swalwell, better known for cable-news grandstanding and his past ties to a Chinese spy, has struggled to connect with voters beyond Twitter.
Bianco, meanwhile, has leaned into his law-enforcement background, drawing a sharp contrast with career politicians. “California NEEDS Chad Bianco as governor,” one local conservative wrote. “My home state has so much beautiful potential, but it’s become lawless. The people in power betrayed their constituents. Sheriff Bianco will bring back accountability.”
Another supporter echoed the sentiment: “It’s time to bring law enforcement back to California. Sheriff Bianco is the man we need. We have a lot of cleaning up to do.”
Bianco hasn’t pulled punches, either. Responding to a typically sanctimonious post from Rep. Eric Swalwell, he fired back: “This man is a disgrace. He couldn’t last a day serving in law enforcement. California deserves a governor who stands with our law enforcement rather than threatening them.” In another jab, Bianco questioned whether Swalwell even plans to live in the state he wants to run.
And when it comes to Gavin Newsom, Bianco delivered perhaps his sharpest line yet: “Gavin Newsom spends every day wishing he could be Trump. He doesn’t hate Trump—he wishes he had the same respect, the same success. Unlike Trump, Gavin Newsom will never be president.”
At a time when Californians are desperate for leadership grounded in reality—not ideology—the early rise of Chad Bianco signals something Democrats haven’t seen in years: a genuine revolt brewing. Whether Sacramento likes it or not, the era of automatic one-party rule may finally be cracking.
