Democrats face nightmare scenario in California gubernatorial race
Polls show Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco are leading in the California gubernatorial race, while eight Democrats split the liberal vote.
Weeks before California’s primary began, Republican delegates were divided on who to support in California’s gubernatorial race after neither Republican candidate received party support.
More than 1,000 California Republican Party delegates gathered in San Diego on Sunday, April 12, for a three-day convention to decide whether to support Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco or Fox News commentator Steve Hilton. Both Republican candidates have held leads in multiple polls in recent weeks.
“Neither gubernatorial candidate was able to reach the 60% threshold for gaining the support of the California Republican Party,” the party posted on social media about the convention.
USA TODAY reached out to the California Republican Party for comment, but did not hear back at the time of publication.
Remarkably, a week before the event, President Donald Trump endorsed Hilton as a gubernatorial candidate in a post on Truth Social, calling him “a truly amazing person and someone who has watched this once great state go to hell.”
But Trump’s endorsement ultimately didn’t seem to help Hilton win enough delegates. By the end of the convention, Bianco had garnered about 49% of delegate support, while Hilton had garnered about 44%. Both were well below the required threshold.
The lack of decisiveness was a surprise to Bianco. “It shouldn’t have been such a close race,” he told a KCRA3 reporter after the votes were counted. In the end, Bianco said he’s not worried and believes he can win this year’s gubernatorial ballot leading up to the November general election.
Hilton, meanwhile, told ABC10 that his campaign has made “progress” in recent weeks, counting his ability to block support for his opponent as a victory.
This news was brought to you by Congressman Eric. Swalwell’s announcementHe suspended his California gubernatorial campaign after several women accused him of sexual assault and misconduct.
The lawmaker is also under investigation in Manhattan and reportedly announced his resignation from Congress on April 13.
Noe Padilla is a Northern California reporter for USA Today. To contact him, npadilla@usatodayco.comX Follow him at @1NoePadilla or Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social.. Sign up for the TODAY Californian newsletter or follow TODAY Californian on Facebook.
