The California Republican Party declined to endorse a candidate in the 2026 governor's race at its spring convention over the weekend in San Diego, a setback for former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
President Donald Trump endorsed Hilton this month.
Delegates failed to give either candidate the 60% support needed for an endorsement, with Bianco receiving 49% and Hilton 44%, according to results reported after the vote.
"Neither candidate for Governor was able to reach the 60% threshold to earn the endorsement of the California Republican Party," the party said in a social media post.
Bianco had predicted he had the support to win the party's backing.
"We think that the numbers are there," he told Politico before the convention, adding, "Steve knows he doesn't have it, and he's going to be doing everything he can to try and block it."
Bianco said in a statement after the convention: "This was a big win for us. I did not run for Governor for endorsements, I'm running for Governor for Californians."
Hilton campaign spokesman Hector Barajas said Bianco was "left with nothing" after the vote and argued Bianco's operation had been built around securing the state party endorsement.
"Bianco's entire relevancy in this campaign was on getting this endorsement over the last several months. His entire operation was built around it, and he had a huge advantage that it was in Southern California and still couldn't even get 50% of the vote, much less than 60 needed to get the endorsement," Hilton spokesperson Hector Barajas said.
Jon Fleischman, the state party's former executive director, said both candidates spent months courting delegates and suggested those personal relationships mattered more than outside political backing.
"Both of these candidates have been going literally county by county by county, meeting delegates, talking to people longer than their voters," Fleischman said. "And while the president's had a lot of generic influence, when you've already met somebody, when you've shaken their hand, when you've gone through the process and have already endorsed them as an individual, nobody else's endorsement matters to you, not even the president."
The result underscored the unusual dynamics of California's race to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom, with Republicans seeing a rare opening in a state that has not elected a GOP governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger two decades ago.
California uses a top-two primary system, meaning all candidates appear on the same June 2 ballot and the two highest finishers advance to the Nov. 3 general election regardless of party.
That format has fueled Republican hopes of sending both Hilton and Bianco to November if Democrats continue to split votes across a crowded field that includes Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer and Antonio Villaraigosa.
Trump endorsed Hilton on April 6, calling him a "truly fine man" and giving him his "COMPLETE & TOTAL ENDORSEMENT," but the convention vote showed the president's backing did not unify California GOP delegates behind a single candidate.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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