A Trump-supporting sheriff in California said his nascent gubernatorial campaign will capitalize on the “revolution” against lawlessness and incompetency sweeping through the Golden State as he seeks to become its first Republican governor in 14 years.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco put to rest speculation about his political future Monday by saying he wants to break up California’s entrenched Democratic majority that lets Gov. Gavin Newsom and other party leaders ignore the concerns of everyday citizens.
That “echo chamber,” he said, exacerbated the state’s burdensome cost of living, prevented officials from containing last month’s deadly wildfires around Los Angeles, and has enabled the twin crises of fentanyl overdoses and homelessness that have emboldened criminality throughout California.
“[Californians] sent them a message that they’re tired of the catching and releasing of criminals, tired of smash-and-grab robberies and retail theft, threatening our businesses and killing our family members, tired of billions upon billions spent on homelessness with nothing to show for it except more homelessness,” Sheriff Bianco said.
The sheriff, who was first elected in 2018, made a name for himself nationally last year by backing Donald Trump after the former president was convicted on nearly three dozen charges in New York state court.
Sheriff Bianco also claimed to have prevented a third potential assassination attempt on Mr. Trump during an October rally in the Coachella Valley.
Deputies stopped 49-year-old Vem Miller at a checkpoint outside the rally after police noticed he had fake media and VIP passes on him, plus was carrying illegal guns. The suspect had multiple fake passports and driver’s licenses in his car as well, according to police.
Mr. Miller was ultimately booked on illegal gun charges. He is now suing the sheriff for defamation.
At his campaign launch Monday, Sheriff Bianco said last fall’s general election signaled favorable winds for Republicans heading into the 2026 governor’s race.
Californians overwhelmingly supported Proposition 36 in November, a ballot measure that introduced tougher penalties for shoplifting and drug offenses.
That was in spite of vocal opposition from Mr. Newsom and most of the state’s Democratic leadership, some of whom have declared their intent to run in next year’s race.
Sheriff Bianco said many of those elected officials helped usher in Proposition 47 a decade earlier. The former ballot measure relaxed punishment for theft-related crimes and has been pegged by critics as the beginning of California’s downward turn in public safety.
“Not only did they oppose [Proposition 36]; they tried to do their best to keep it off our ballot — to prevent all of you from forcing them to do what was right,” the sheriff said Monday.
Sheriff Bianco joins Leo Zacky, vice president of Zacky Farms, business consultant Sharifah Hardie and former Judge Jimmy Parker declaring for the Republican ticket.
On the Democratic side, Toni Atkins, former president pro tempore of the California Senate; Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis; Betty Yee, the California Democratic Party vice chair; and former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa have all entered the race.
Mr. Newsom can’t run again because of term limits.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.