Speculation is mounting that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, an outspoken supporter of President Trump, will throw his hat into the race for California Governor next year.
Reports of a possible Bianco run picked up steam when a post appeared on the event-planning website Eventbrite stating that he would “make a big announcement” on Monday, Feb. 17.
Bianco has not commented publicly but did criticize Gov. Gavin Newsom while endorsing Donald Trump for president in a video posted to his personal Instagram account last summer.
“This love affair that our governor and our state legislature have with criminals is based on the belief that criminals are not responsible for their own actions, that they are a victim of society, and really, it’s our fault,” Bianco said in the video.
Bianco said he was “switching teams” to endorse “a felon” for president.
“I think it’s time that instead of letting them out of jail and giving them alcohol and drugs and everything else, I think it’s time we put a felon in the White House,” Bianco said, tongue in cheek.
The Los Angeles Times followed up with an article in 2024 stating that Bianco was already mulling over the idea of a gubernatorial run.
The sheriff also made headlines in 2021 when he said that vaccination was a personal choice and vowed not to enforce mandates within the Sheriff’s Office, the Times reported.
