Why I’m taking the high ground in the race for governor

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I’m Sheriff Chad Bianco, and I’m running for governor to make California great again. 

I’m also running to win. 

That’s why I’m not going to respond to my Republican opponent. He’s decided to attack me rather than to join forces against the left-wing radicals who are ruining our state. 

He knows that the most likely path for a Republican to win governor is if both of the candidates in the general election are Republican. 

It could happen.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco speaking to attendees after announcing his bid for governor. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Almost every poll has shown me leading the race for governor, and my opponent in second, with a long list of Democrats trailing behind, splitting their own vote.

We need to keep up that momentum through the June 2 primary.

Because in a Republican-versus-Democrat contest, it is a much rougher path to victory, no matter how good the Republican is, and how bad the Democrat may be. 

So when my opponent tries to sell himself as the only Republican in the race, he’s planning to lose. 

Apparently his new strategy is to win the primary and lose the general.

I’m not playing that game. Because there is too much at stake for California.

This may be our last chance to save the state. Gavin Newsom is leaving behind a legacy of failure that no Democrat will undo. I will.

There is no Democrat who will unravel the “climate change” agenda that is causing our gas prices and energy bills to skyrocket. I will.

There is no Democrat who will investigate the billions of dollars in fraud that Newsom and his cronies have built into the bureaucracy. I will.

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There is no Democrat who will veto the crazy ideas of the radical state legislature, from reparations — in a state that never had slavery! — to mandatory gender confusion. I will.

There is no Democrat who will stop the runaway taxes and regulations that are making life so expensive and unaffordable that even billionaires are heading for the exits. I will.

There is no Democrat who will fight the teachers unions and the stranglehold they have on the education of our children. I will.

If our next governor is just another Democrat, California will continue its downward spiral.

Our next governor has to be a Republican. And that governor has to be a leader — someone who can rise above petty political divisions. 

That’s what I’ve done, as sheriff of Riverside County. 

I’ve stuck to my guns and my principles. For example, I led the fight against Newsom’s insane COVID restrictions and mandates. 

I refused to allow the governor to violate the basic rights and freedoms of churchgoers and business owners. I fought him, when few others would.

Yet at the same time, I worked with county and city governments that were made up of liberal Democrats. We joined forces to fight crime in our communities.

Because no matter what our cultural and ideological differences, we all deserve basic public safety. We all deserve freedom from fear. 

As governor, I will start with what we share in common — without yielding on the values I hold dear.

I’m happy to have a policy debate with any of my opponents.

The public deserves to hear our ideas.

But I’m not going to get into political mudslinging and backstabbing. 

Chad Bianco speaking at a panel discussion. Paul Kitagaki Jr./ZUMA / SplashNews.com

I’m not going to take away our best chance at turning California red by demanding to be the only Republican in the general election.

Because imagine this. It’s June, and all the late ballots have come in for the primary election.

And lo and behold! — in deep-blue California, with all of its bizarre “jungle primary” rules and vote-by-mail shenanigans, there are two Republican candidates for governor in the general election.

Just think about that.

Heads will explode. 

Democrats will suddenly demand a return to party primaries. Who knows — they might even get behind voter ID.

They’ll rant and rave. But their voters will be thrilled. 

Because even voters who usually vote for Democrats are eager for change in California.

And we are going to give the people of California the campaign for governor that they deserve. 

But that’s where our focus needs to be. Not on politics. Not on each other.

We need to focus on California.

And if you’re confident in your chances, you’ll keep the focus where it belongs.

I’m in this to win. More importantly, I’m in this to save California.

I hope my Republican opponent feels the same, and I hope to see him in the general election.  

Then, after I’m elected governor I can get right to work making California great again.

Chad Bianco is the sheriff of Riverside County and a frontrunner in the race for California governor.