The Long Beach Press-Telegram reports:
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is considering running as a Republican for governor in 2026, potentially bringing an outspoken conservative voice to what’s already a crowded field hoping to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he made headlines for calling Newsom a bully and refusing to enforce state-mandated business restrictions intended to stop the spread of the virus.
A run for governor likely would bring increased scrutiny to Bianco’s past, including his past membership in the far-right Oath Keepers militia. Bianco has said he learned of the Oath Keepers from the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, with which he was affiliated at the time. Extremist watchdogs say the association is an anti-government extremist group that believes sheriffs’ powers supersede the federal government’s authority.
Read the full article. Bianco has become a regular on Fox News. California last elected a Republican governor in 2006. That was Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco could run for governor in 2026 https://t.co/llX6sZN41A
— LB Press-Telegram (@presstelegram) April 12, 2024