A Trump-loving, anti-trans, one-note sheriff for California governor? Get a grip, GOP | Opinion
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- California GOP frontrunners embrace Trump and far-right stances despite backlash.
- Sheriff Chad Bianco leads with culture war rhetoric, alienating key swing voters.
- Recall efforts distract from 2026 strategy as Democrats retain statewide dominance.
For a minute, it appeared California’s beleaguered Republican Party might be on the cusp of a comeback.
In a sign that residents were fed up with the status quo, last November voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 36 — a tough-on-crime initiative opposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and other liberal leaders.
In that same election, 10 counties that voted for Joe Biden in 2020 flipped and voted for Donald Trump.
Then in March of this year, a survey showed that 48% of likely voters would consider supporting a Republican for governor in 2026.
Republicans could have seized the day by finding a reasonably moderate, reasonably competent, reasonably well-spoken candidate to run — preferably someone capable of recognizing that California is not Texas or Utah; does not say “Democrat Party”; does not consider a MAGA hat an essential accessory; and does not openly sneer at the values most Californians hold dear.
That’s not happening.
A county sheriff leads the Republican pack
According to an April poll, the top Republican contender for governor is Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a one-note, law-and-order candidate who recently threatened to arrest transgender athletes who use girls’ locker rooms. He accuses them of victimizing girls by “strutting around naked” and pretending to be something they are not.
“I have got so many comments and questions and people inquiring of me about whether or not we’re going to arrest people for indecent exposure and for harming these girls,” he said in an Instagram post. “And the answer is yes.”
Bianco also believes homelessness is the result of “drug-induced psychosis.” He blames that on the state in general and Gov. Gavin Newsom in particular.
“We supply them places to do all the stuff that they’re doing. This is what is causing the homeless epidemic,” he told Fox News out of Bakersfield. “These people are unfortunately rotting in their skins.”
‘Shoeless green guru’
The other prominent Republican candidate is conservative commentator Stephen Hilton, a former Fox News host who also served as an adviser to former British Prime Minister David Cameron before they had a falling out. (Hilton was born in England but became an American citizen in 2021.)
While still in Cameron’s good graces, Hilton engineered Cameron’s “hug a husky” trip to the Arctic — a publicity stunt aiming at proving that the conservative PM really did care about the environment.
Hilton has since done a 180; he now rails against California’s war on fossil fuels.
“It’s all political ideology,” he told Fox News interviewer Will Silverstein. “It’s crushing people’s jobs. It’s crushing communities, undermining the fabric of those communities, hurting working families, but also, most insanely, it’s actually increasing carbon emissions.”
A cheeky columnist with The Times of London described Hilton’s transformation as “a journey from shoeless green advocate to anti-woke Republican.” (Hilton was known for padding around in his socks.)
Another Newsom recall
As much as Democrats are accused of being out of touch with mainstream America, California Republicans are clueless when it comes to figuring out how to win statewide races. They whine about one-party rule, but instead of focusing on issues that resonate with all Californians, they insist on poking the donkey.
Why else would they have mounted yet another recall campaign targeting Gov. Newsom? (Since becoming governor, Newsom has been targeted for recall six previous times, though only one went to an election.)
This time, it’s for “gross mismanagement” of the Los Angeles fires, the “unbearable rise” in the cost of living, and crime, homelessness and drugs. They have until Sept. 4 to gather 1.3 million signatures of registered voters.
It would make far more sense for the GOP to concentrate on the 2026 election, rather than embarking on yet another recall campaign against Newsom, who would be a lame duck by the time this made it to the ballot.
California remains solidly blue
Granted, trying to pull off a win in the governor’s race is next to impossible, unless they can find someone with broader appeal than Bianco and Hilton. Both men are devoted to Trump — a handicap in a state where the president’s approval rating is among the lowest in the nation (30% as of June 10, according to Civiqs’ tracking survey).
And despite gaining ground in parts of California, Republicans are still battling for votes in a state that remains solidly blue: 45% of registered voters are Democrats, 25% are Republicans, 22% have no party preference and the remainder belong to third parties.
While Democrats may be fed up with their party leadership — Newsom’s approval rating has been hovering below 50% — that doesn’t mean they are going to vote Republican.
On certain core values, Democrats are not going to budge.
They are not OK with locking up transgender athletes who use the girls’ locker room.
They are not OK with abandoning clean energy and going all in on oil and gas drilling.
They are not OK with the mass deportation of immigrants who are essential not only to California’s economy, but also to its well-being.
They are not OK with pulling the safety net out from under the poor, the sick, the elderly and the unhoused.
And they are most definitely not OK with National Guard troops and Marines occupying cities.
Until California’s Republican Party is willing to accept that there are some non-negotiables, it will be stuck in the back seat, forever complaining about the bumpy ride.
This story was originally published June 11, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "A Trump-loving, anti-trans, one-note sheriff for California governor? Get a grip, GOP | Opinion."
