Chad Bianco says he won’t endorse fellow Republican Steve Hilton ‘at this time’
Former California gubernatorial hopeful Chad Bianco said he will not back fellow Republican Steve Hilton in the November general election “at this time.”
The Riverside County sheriff has been silent about the election results after placing a distant fourth in the June primary, ignoring calls for unity from state party Chair Corrin Rankin. On Tuesday, conservative commentator Kira Davis posted an interview with Bianco to the social media platform X in which Bianco was asked whether he would endorse Hilton, who will face Democrat Xavier Becerra this November.
“At this point, no,” Bianco said. “I’m concentrating on my job as sheriff, making Riverside County better.”
The sheriff did not elaborate on his reasons for withholding his endorsement of Hilton, and did not immediately return a phone call seeking clarification.
Bianco told Davis’ podcast he would back Republican attorney general hopeful Michael Gates in his race to unseat Democratic incumbent Rob Bonta. In 2023, Bonta’s office launched a civil rights investigation into the sheriff’s office after a spate of jail deaths and reports of excessive force by officers. The Democrat is battling Bianco in a separate case now before the California Supreme Court over the sheriff’s move to seize ballots earlier this year.
“I can’t make Riverside County better if I have the same obstructionist attorney general at the state level,” Bianco said. “So my priority right now is Michael Gates.”
Bianco and Hilton had a sometimes chummy, sometimes bitter relationship on the campaign trail. The sheriff called Hilton “dishonest” in a February interview with The Sacramento Bee as Hilton ramped up attacks over Bianco’s stance on immigration and his decision to kneel alongside protestors in 2020. But in later debates, the two Republicans were more likely to take aim at the Democrats on stage than each other.
It’s not clear whether Bianco’s decision will trickle down to the 10% of voters who cast ballots for him in the primary. But the party will need heavy GOP turnout and big margins among independents to counter Democrats’ nearly two-to-one advantage in registered voters in November.
In a statement, Hilton said he appreciated Hilton’s service as sheriff.
“My door is always open, and I look forward to working with anyone who shares the goal of making California safer, affordable, and prosperous,” Hilton said.
