Overview
- Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, pressed during a CNN debate Tuesday, denied then admitted he had called rival Steve Hilton a man who "swindled" his way into the Republican field.
- Kaitlan Collins challenged Bianco with a quote sourced to a KBAK‑TV interview from April, prompting him to say, "I probably did say that," before agreeing to the wording.
- The exchange took place in a seven‑candidate gubernatorial debate that included two Republicans and previewed California’s top‑two primary format where all candidates appear on one ballot.
- Bianco has also labeled Hilton "unethical" and "dishonest," sharpening an intra‑party clash as the two vie for Republican voters in a crowded field.
- Bianco’s campaign faces added scrutiny from a 2025 election‑fraud probe in which his office said it seized more than 650,000 ballots, a move some Republicans criticized as politically driven.