GOP Candidates' Bitter Feud Threatens California Governorship Bid

Republican infighting cripples party's best chance in decades to capture California's top office.

Apr. 10, 2026 at 1:06pm

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A dynamic, abstract painting featuring overlapping, fragmented shapes and figures in vibrant shades of red, blue, and green, conveying the heated political conflict between the two Republican candidates.The bitter feud between two leading California GOP gubernatorial candidates threatens to derail the party's best chance in years to capture the state's top office.Los Angeles Today

The Republican Party's best opportunity to capture California's governorship in two decades is imploding as its two leading candidates, Fox News personality Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, savage each other in an increasingly vicious primary battle that threatens to destroy their joint advantage.

Why it matters

California's 'jungle primary' rules allow the top two vote-getters to advance to the general election regardless of party, giving the GOP its best shot at the governorship in years. However, the bitter feud between Hilton and Bianco is tearing the party apart and could hand the election to Democrats.

The details

Bianco, the law-and-order candidate, initially seemed positioned to capitalize on his law enforcement credentials, but Hilton has attacked him over past statements on immigration, pandemic policies, and the Black Lives Matter movement. The two traded brutal personal attacks at their first debate, with Hilton calling Bianco 'wishy-washy' and 'coddling illegal immigrants,' while Bianco labeled Hilton a 'fraud' and 'heartless.' Hilton has also circulated images of Bianco kneeling during BLM protests, which has angered some GOP voters.

  • The California Republican Party is meeting this weekend in San Diego to decide on an endorsement, but neither candidate appears positioned to secure the required 60% vote threshold.
  • The June primary will determine the top two vote-getters who will advance to the November general election.

The players

Steve Hilton

A Fox News personality running for California governor as the more conservative, hardline Republican candidate.

Chad Bianco

The Riverside County Sheriff running for California governor as the law-and-order Republican candidate.

Gavin Newsom

The current Democratic governor of California.

Bernie Sanders

The progressive U.S. Senator whose 2016 positions Hilton previously expressed support for.

David Cameron

The former British Prime Minister whom Hilton advised on climate change issues.

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What they’re saying

“If we took the names and the party off of the ballot and simply went up with resume — we made you all read a resume of who you're going to put as your next governor — I would win this election 100% to nothing.”

— Chad Bianco, Riverside County Sheriff

“What an outrageous and offensive insult that Chad just made to every legal immigrant in this state and in this country.”

— Steve Hilton

“Steve is a fraud. He's a liar, and I'm not going to sit by and just let him do it anymore. When he starts attacking me, he starts attacking my deputies, my profession, I'm not gonna let it happen anymore.”

— Chad Bianco, Riverside County Sheriff

“We don't want to split, right? That's a problem. The state of California is at stake. We were thriving here in California. But now, it has been nothing but a downhill slide. We need people who appreciate what California is all about.”

— Jane Price, Longtime GOP activist

What’s next

The California Republican Party will meet this weekend in San Diego to decide on an endorsement, but it's unclear if either Hilton or Bianco will secure the 60% threshold needed. The June primary will determine the top two vote-getters who will advance to the November general election.

The takeaway

The bitter feud between the two leading Republican candidates for California governor is tearing the party apart and threatens to hand the election to Democrats, despite the GOP's best chance in decades to capture the state's top office. The infighting highlights the deep divisions within the California Republican Party and the challenges it faces in a state dominated by Democrats.