Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco officially announced Monday, Feb. 17, that he’ll run for governor in 2026, hoping a campaign centered on fighting crime and targeting Sacramento’s Democratic leadership can overcome questions about his background and recent challenges for Republicans seeking statewide office.
Bianco, a Republican, launched his bid before hundreds of enthusiastic, sign-waving supporters at Avila’s 1929, a downtown Riverside venue.
“I am here to announce our campaign for governor of California,” Bianco said to loud cheers and applause. “I’m running for governor of our beautiful state, which I absolutely love (because it’s) heading down the wrong track and has been for years.”
Bianco took aim at what he called the Sacramento Democratic “echo chamber” that has tried “the same failed ideas and the same failed policies” for decades.
“It is only our Democrat-elected officials who are responsible for the decline of California,” Bianco 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.”
