Despite recent headlines from outlets like Politico “breaking” the news that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is considering a run for governor of California, it’s really old news. It’s been talked about in Riverside County political circles for some time now.
In any case, Bianco’s potential run for governor is worth reflecting on. Bianco, for one, would be the highest profile Republican candidate for the 2026 campaign for governor.
To date, it’s been mainly Democrats talking about running. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former Controller Betty Yee, current Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and former Senate President Toni Atkins are among those already in the running, with others considering jumping into the race.
With California’s jungle primary, the split Democratic field gives an opening for a major Republican candidate to crack the top two.
Given the track record of gubernatorial races since outlier Arnold Schwarzenegger, Republican candidates for governor tend to get around 40% of the vote. So, it’s generally a longshot for the GOP.
The political dynamics aside, there are reasons for voters to be skeptical of a Bianco campaign for governor.
For one, Bianco’s time as sheriff of Riverside County has been anything but stellar. This editorial board warned against his election in 2018, citing his lack of meaningful management experience and the fact that his campaign for sheriff was almost entirely funded by police unions and mainly funded by the disgruntled deputy sheriffs union. He made promises he couldn’t possibly keep, like lowering the cost of policing services for cities contracting with the sheriff’s department for services, mainly because he didn’t understand how the department worked.
Bianco’s poor management has resulted in a growing number of scandals. After a massive spike in jail deaths, the sheriff’s department has been under investigation by the California Department of Justice. The scope of the investigation is to determine if the department “has engaged in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing amid deeply concerning allegations relating to conditions of confinement in its jail facilities, excessive force, and other misconduct.”
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Meanwhile, Bianco’s deputies are frequently in the news for all the wrong things. From losing 60 pounds of methamphetamine to trafficking fentanyl to sexually abusing women in custody to illegally raiding the homes of an elderly couple. His department has also been identified by the Nationwide Police Scorecard as particularly likely to use deadly force relative to the number of arrests made. It’s hardly the record of someone who stands out as deserving a promotion to higher office.
But on top of all of that, Bianco’s past affiliations with far-right groups like the Oath Keepers throws cold water on any idea that he’d be electable in a statewide race.
Bianco might be popular among Republicans for his tough-on-crime talk — even though crime has surged on his watch and his department’s crime-solving rate is abysmal — but all he’s had to offer is just talk.
