Which Republican campaigns are raking in the most cash in California?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Katie Porter led all California gubernatorial fundraising with $3 million raised.
- Republicans Bianco and Hilton raised $1.6M and $1.5M respectively in early 2025.
- Donor funds may rise in late 2025 as Kamala Harris confirmed she won't run.
Democrats running for California governor had a harder time raising money this year as the will-she-won’t-she question of Kamala Harris’ candidacy hung over the race.
And while one Democrat outraised the field by a longshot, the two major Republican candidates held their own during the first half of 2025, campaign finance records show.
Republican Chad Bianco was the second-highest fundraiser in the race for governor between January and June 30, pulling in more than $1.6 million. The Riverside sheriff had two months’ head start against his GOP opponent, former Fox News host Steve Hilton, who entered the race in April and raised more than $1.5 million.
According to Bianco’s campaign, about one-fifth of his total came from more than 8,500 individual donations under $100.
“Californians aren’t looking for a ‘former.’ It’s clear based on our fundraising performance that they want somebody new and fresh — a real leader, laser-focused on fixing California,” Bianco said in a statement. “Our campaign is fueled by people, and we’re gearing up to save our state.”
Hilton’s campaign sought to play up his own fundraising success, noting that including the month of July, the conservative commentator raised $1.8 million from more than 5,000 individuals during his first 100 days on the campaign trail.
“I’m so excited to see the incredible momentum we’ve built in just 100 days,” Hilton said in a statement. “Everywhere I go, up and down the state, I see it in people’s eyes: we’ve had it with this one-party rule that has made life such a terrible struggle. It’s time for change, it’s time for common sense, and it’s time for some political balance. I’m more confident than ever that we will make it happen.”
Among the Democratic candidates for governor, former Rep. Katie Porter of Orange County dominated with a $3 million haul since announcing her candidacy in March.
The Democrat’s campaign touted donations from 34,000 individuals from all 58 counties with an average gift of $33.
Porter’s filing was so large that her campaign took credit for crashing the Secretary of State’s campaign finance website, which was down for several hours Friday morning. She also plans to continue a long-held pledge of not accepting corporate donations.
In the state schools superintendents’ race, Republican local school board member Sonja Shaw — who is running as an independent — raised more than $116,000. She will face Democrats including former Speaker Anthony Rendon, who got into the race earlier this week and has nearly $900,000 on-hand and Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, who raised nearly $500,000 so far this year.
The money race for California governor
Other Democrats running for California governor reported hefty hauls this year, including former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra ($1.3 million plus a $1.1 million transfer from his congressional campaign account, giving him more than $2.1 million in the bank) and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa ($1.1 million and $3.3 million cash on-hand).
Two Democratic candidates who got into the race early brought in lower totals but have millions in their campaign war chests: Former Senate leader Toni Atkins raised nearly $650,000 and is sitting on more than $4.2 million.
Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis raised just over $100,000 this period — notably low for a candidate plugged into major donor circles — but has more than $4.6 million in the bank.
Betty Yee, a former state controller, raised $237,000 so far in 2025 and has $637,000 on-hand. State Superintendent Tony Thurmond raised just $70,000 and has $557,000 in his campaign account.
Stephen Cloobeck, a billionaire entrepreneur, raised $160,000 but on Thursday pumped another $10 million of his own money into his campaign account. The longtime Democratic donor previously gave himself $3 million after getting into the race.
With Harris officially out of the running, cash will likely begin flowing in earnest during the second half of the year from major Democratic donors who had kept checkbooks closed while awaiting the former vice president’s decision.
This story was originally published August 1, 2025 at 4:07 PM.
