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2d ago

Hilton Escalates Attack on Bianco, Urges Exit to Avoid GOP Vote Split in California Governor’s Race

Hilton seeks to consolidate Republicans under the state’s top-two primary rules to prevent two Democrats advancing.

From left, Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton, Matt Mahan, Tom Steyer, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa and Betty Yee stand on the stage during the California gubernatorial candidate debate Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Laure Andrillon)

Overview

  • At a Feb. 3 televised debate, Steve Hilton was the lone Republican on stage and spotlighted a 2020 video of Sheriff Chad Bianco kneeling, directing viewers to a new site, BLMBianco.org.
  • Bianco skipped the debate citing a scheduling conflict, declined interview requests, and later posted on social media that he is a “doer.”
  • Hilton framed his push as a strategic bid to avoid splitting a limited GOP electorate in a June 2 top-two primary that could otherwise send two Democrats to November.
  • Polling aggregates show Bianco holding a narrow lead over Hilton, with RealClearPolitics placing Bianco about two points ahead.
  • Hilton, a British-born former Fox host and businessman, contrasts with Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff and law-and-order candidate who backed 2024’s Proposition 36.