Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco Announces Run For Governor

Hundreds packed Avila’s Historic 1929 in downtown Riverside Monday morning to hear Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco announce his run for governor.

“We believe that he is a sheriff of the people,” Yadira DeLeon said. “He’s one of the very few sheriffs that has actually held his oath of office and follows the Constitution to a T.”

DeLeon came to the event with her friend, Theresa Figueroa. The pair live in San Bernardino County, and said Bianco was exactly what was needed in the state.

“Every fraction of our state is broken, from education to law enforcement to immigration to California security to our economy, it’s all broken,” Figueroa said. “Are we going to keep voting for the same people who are not going to make a change and serve themselves instead of us, the voters, their constituents, we the people?”

Bianco — a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump who ahead of the election posted a video to social media stating that it was “time we put a felon in the White House” — said that it was his goal to address the issues brought up by Figueroa and get the state back on the right track.

“Over the past 36 years, I achieved and lived my California Dream,” he said. “Unfortunately for my kids, destructive policies, political agendas, government overreach and regulation, radical activism and special interests have turned the California Dream into a nightmare for millions of Californians.”

Bianco, 58, was first elected sheriff in 2018 and was reelected in 2022 with 60% of the vote. Supporters like his tough-on-crime rhetoric, while detractors say his department has failed to adequately protect those in its custody. He is the first high-profile Republican candidate to throw his hat in the ring for the 2026 race, though the field is largely expected to grow since Gov. Gavin Newsom is finishing his second term.

Surrounded on stage by stalwarts of the local Republican party — Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA 41st District), Assemblymember Bill Essayli (R-Corona), Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin and District 2 Supervisor Karen Spiegel — family members and supporters, Bianco painted a grim picture of the state of California due solely, he said, to the state’s elected Democrats.

“What is it that they have given us,” he said. “Rampant crime, higher taxes, the highest cost of living in our nation, tent encampments in every major city, more fentanyl deaths, catastrophic fires, a broken homeowners insurance market and people across our state are struggling to afford groceries and gas.”

For Bianco, the state’s problems stem from what he said was a lack of leadership from the state’s majority party elected officials.

“I know what leadership is, and I know that leadership matters, and just as importantly, I know what leadership isn’t,” he said. “I know the damage caused by a lack of leadership. I know that when those in charge are failing, it is time for a complete change at the top.”

But for all of the remarks disparaging Democrat leaders, Bianco said his campaign would not be about the divide between Democrats and Republicans, but rather what he called “the common goal we all have for a better California.”

It was a refrain echoed by many of those at the event including Essayli.

“I hope people will look at Chad and consider more than just the party label next to his name, and actually consider the quality of the candidates, and I think he’ll win,” Essayli said. “It’s going to be a long 22 months, as the sheriff said, and we look forward to making our case as to why he’s the best candidate for governor.”

Among the many elected officials at the event showing their support for Bianco’s run were Temecula Valley Unified School District Board Member Joseph Komrosky, who watched from the overflow area outside of the venue.

“There was a lot of enthusiasm in the crowd,” he said.

Prior to the announcement, pastors Tim Thompson and Simon Cooper of 412 Church Temecula Valley prayed over Bianco. 

“What I pray is he speaks truth into this state, that truth will overwhelm everyone and that you will be glorified by what this man does,” Thompson said during the prayer. “Anoint him Father with your spirit and use him for something great.”

Thompson is the founder of 412 Church Temecula Valley and the nonprofit Our Watch. He is also the principal officer of Inland Empire Family PAC, which has financially supported Christian conservative school board members throughout the region, and is also a staunch supporter of Trump. Both he and Bianco were at Trump’s inauguration last month attending a number of events including the Liberty Ball.

After posting about attending the ball, Thompson shared a photo of Derek Kinnison celebrating that Trump had pardoned him. Kinnison was serving a 33-month prison sentence after being convicted of three felonies and two misdemeanors in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.

A handful of demonstrators from Indivisible Riverside gathered outside the event, holding signs that said, “Chad is bad for California,” “No human is illegal,” and “Under Bianco, record in-custody deaths.”

“I think the combination of the way he’s treated the people in his custody, on top of the fact that he supports the whole [Make America Great Again] agenda, I would be terrified for him to be the governor in the state,” Rabbi Suzanne Singer, a member of Indivisible Riverside and the Riverside Sheriff Accountability Coalition, said noting the high number of in-custody deaths in Riverside County jails. “His values are not my values and are not our values.”

And while those at the event largely ignored the demonstrators, some walked by chanting “Bianco,” as they passed while others engaged in conversation with them about their concerns.

“There were some people who came and talked to us, which I was very impressed by that,” Singler said. “It’s hard to have a conversation because we’re not starting from the same facts, but I appreciate the fact that some people were willing to come over and talk.”