California GOP Withholds Governor Endorsement After Split Convention Vote

The stalemate leaves the party without a standard-bearer before California's June 2 top-two primary.

Overview

Delegates at the San Diego convention split their vote, giving Chad Bianco 49% and Steve Hilton 44%, short of the 60% needed for an official party endorsement.
President Trump endorsed Hilton, yet delegates did not rally behind a single candidate, underscoring limits to national influence on the state party’s decision.
Hilton leads statewide polling and has raised more than $6.6 million, about $2 million more than Bianco, positioning him as the financial and polling front-runner.
Bianco said the result changes nothing for his bid and called endorsements “nonsense,” while facing scrutiny for seizing hundreds of thousands of Proposition 50 ballots under court orders.
California’s top-two primary advances the two highest vote-getters regardless of party, so both Republicans could still reach the November ballot if they finish first and second on June 2.