RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA — Hundreds of California Republican Party delegates will gather in San Diego this weekend to decide whether to officially endorse a candidate for governor in the 2026 election. The two leading Republican contenders — conservative commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — dominate early polling in the race to lead the most populous U.S. state and the world's fourth-largest economy.

A candidate must receive at least 60% of delegate votes to secure the party's official endorsement. President Donald Trump endorsed Hilton late Sunday, before delegates prepare to cast their ballots. Hilton, a British immigrant, has participated in more gubernatorial forums and debates than Bianco during the campaign so far.

Bianco has said that having "Riverside County Sheriff" next to his name on the state ballot would be a major boon to his campaign. He has staked out positions opposing sanctuary city laws and calling for the deportation of criminal illegal immigrants, while also saying the U.S. border must be secured. At the same time, Bianco has supported a pathway to citizenship for lawful, working undocumented people and told his constituents that his deputies were not taking part in Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.

Bianco's record includes positions that cross traditional partisan lines. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, he ordered Riverside County residents to wear masks or face punishment, though he later pushed back against Governor Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home orders. In 2020, Bianco and his deputies were photographed kneeling and speaking with protesters after the police killing of George Floyd. He described the kneeling and speaking with protesters as praying.

Newsom is term-limited and cannot run for re-election in 2026. Eight Democratic candidates are splitting their party's vote in early polling for the governor's race. Registered Democratic voters outnumber Republican voters nearly 2 to 1 in California, though more than six million Californians voted for Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

Under California's primary election system, the two candidates who receive the most votes in the June primary will advance to the November general election, regardless of party affiliation. The primary is scheduled for June 2, 2026.