Riverside County Sheriff and California gubernatorial hopeful Chad Bianco warned Republican infighting could sabotage the party’s best shot in decades to retake the state, blasting GOP rivals as “too stupid” to see what’s at stake.
California’s open “jungle primary” system — where candidates compete on the same ballot and only the top two advance — makes GOP unity even more critical. With Democrats outnumbering Republicans roughly two to one, a split conservative vote could easily shut Republicans out of the 2026 general election entirely, Bianco said in an interview with the Daily Caller.(RELATED: Six Months Later, California Democrats Have Done Basically Nothing To Rebuild From LA Fires)
“To be quite honest with you, and blunt, Republicans are too stupid to figure it out, and we allow egos and we allow narcissism to influence our election process,” Bianco told the Caller. “And that we do everything we can in the Republican side to ensure that we lose in primary elections.”
In most states, party infighting fades by the primary, when voters or delegates settle on a standard-bearer to face the opposition in November. But California’s “jungle primary” flips that dynamic on its head.
Under the system, every candidate from every party appears on the same ballot, and only the top two vote-getters advance to the general election — regardless of party. With Democrats outnumbering Republicans about two to one, a crowded GOP field risks splitting the conservative vote so thinly that both finalists could be Democrats.
That threat looms even larger if former Vice President Kamala Harris jumps into the race, as some Democrats expect. Her presence could consolidate Democratic support early and leave the fractured Republican slate fighting over scraps.
It’s in this context, Bianco said, that his GOP rivals are “egotistically driven,” accusing them of running for “personal/political reasons, not for the betterment of California.”
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 15: Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Bianco didn’t hold back when sizing up his Republican rivals, dismissing them as unserious and unelectable.
“The reality of the Republicans that I’m running against — there is not one single one of them that has a chance of winning a statewide election. There is not one single one of them who has even run a campaign before,” Bianco said. “You have a couple of them that think they can run for governor every time the governor race comes up, but they have absolutely zero chance of winning this election.”
He warned that their “egos” and “narcissistic attitudes” threaten to sabotage the GOP’s chances.
“And all they’re going to do is, because of their egos and their narcissistic attitudes, they’re going to stay in this race, pull maybe a million votes combined away from my race — maybe even more than that, if Hilton stays in — and then we ensure that we’re going to lose,” he said.
Steve Hilton, a conservative pundit also running for governor, was the only rival Bianco called out by name. Hilton’s campaign did not respond to the Caller’s request for comment.
With more than 30 years in law enforcement, Bianco acknowledged his style can come off as blunt — even hostile — but said he sees himself as a team player willing to take the buzzer-beater shot for Republicans if it means giving the party a fighting chance.
Bianco insisted the key was simply getting through the primary, saying he’s fully convinced he can win the governorship if the field clears.
“I don’t think it’s going to be hard, I honestly don’t,” Bianco said.
He pinned this confidence on the belief that reality will set in for his rivals as election day approaches.
“It’s going to be crystal clear that they have absolutely no chance,” Bianco said. “You need to get out before — you’re going to ruin this for us, and we’re going to end up losing this state to another Democrat because of silliness, because of pettiness.”
“In the end, it’s going to be coming down closer to the wire,” he continued. “They’re all so angry and egotistical that they truly believe that they’re important and that they can win. And so there are none of those discussions.”
Bianco said Republicans “never run a race on issues” but insisted his personality and popularity won’t “allow the Democrats to control the narrative of this election.”
While unafraid to take firm stances on hot-button topics like illegal immigration and banning biological men from women’s sports, Bianco believes his emphasis on public safety resonates across California’s political spectrum.
He pointed to the overwhelming passage of Proposition 36, which increased penalties for certain drug and theft crimes, as “perfect example of where we are, and where the switch and the shift is in California.”
Voters, Bianco argued, must “face the facts of California” or keep backing the same policies driving millions out of the state. He questioned how anyone could be “so weak that you’re going to give up on the greatest state in the country,” and vowed he won’t be among them.
