Top California Republican Steve Hilton blasted GOP rival Sheriff Chad Bianco for skipping Tuesday’s gubernatorial debate — and for taking a knee with George Floyd protesters in 2020.
Before answering questions from moderators, Hilton wanted to address the “RINO who is not in the room.”
“In 2020, during the Black Lives Matter riots, he took a knee when told to by BLM,” Hilton said. “Now, he says he was praying.” Hilton urged voters not to take his word for it, but see the video of the “shifty sheriff” online for themselves. “Chad Bianco has got more baggage than LAX.”
California Rep. Katie Porter and Rep. Eric Swalwell also missed the key gubernatorial gathering.
Though Hilton and Bianco have an uphill battle in a state that has run blue since Arnold Schwarzenegger won the governor’s mansion, the former candidate wants to separate himself from the competition.
Hilton is considered the leading Republican in the 2026 California gubernatorial race, and has been a prolific fundraiser so far. He raised about $4.1 million in the second half of 2025, more than most candidates in the race.
Swalwell, with the help of Hollywood elites, has raised about $3.1 million since joining the race in November.
But there’s no clear frontrunner in the race.
An Emerson College poll in December showed Bianco leading the wide field with 13% support, just ahead of Hilton and Swalwell at 12%. Porter came in at 11%, and three other Democrats like Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former US secretary of health and human services Xavier Becerra and progressive billionaire Tom Steyer came in with 5% support or less.
About a third of the voters asked in the poll were undecided.
The recent entry of San José Mayor Matt Mahan, who attended the debate, created turmoil in the gubernatorial race. He’s said his top focus is affordability, a popular political buzz word, and believes government can be more efficient.
“I don’t get politicians who defend the status quo and pretend that government couldn’t possibly be more efficient, more effective, more technology-enabled,” Mahan recently told the Wall Street Journal.
