Wannabe California governor Chad Bianco was caught out live on television after trying to deny that he’d accused his main Republican rival of swindling voters.
Appearing alongside six other candidates for governor in a televised debate on CNN, the Trumpy Riverside County sheriff was asked by moderator Kaitlan Collins about past comments he made about GOP frontrunner Steve Hilton.
“You’ve actually had some harsh words for your fellow Republican on the stage tonight,” the CNN host began. “You’ve called him, quote, ‘unethical’ and ‘dishonest’ and said that he is trying to, quote, ‘manipulate Californians’ and quote, ‘swindled his way into the Republican side.’ Are you saying that you don’t think Republican voters can trust Mr. Hilton?”
Hilton, who moved to California from the U.K. in 2012 after serving as Prime Minister David Cameron’s strategy director, is one of 12 Republicans who have declared their candidacy in the election, and one of two who participated in Tuesday night’s debate alongside Bianco. He is also leading in the polls.
Bianco immediately took issue with the quote Collins attributed to him that contained the word “swindled.”
He told the anchor, “I don’t know where that came from. I would tell you, in my entire life I don’t think I’ve used the word ‘swindle.’ So I don’t know if you were quoting something or if you were saying that—if you were saying that.”
He then doubled down, insisting that he had never used the word swindle. “I would never, I would never use the word ‘swindled,’” he said.
Seeking clarification, Collins referenced the specific interview with KBAK in which Bianco said that Hilton was trying to figure out how he can “manipulate Californians to put him in this position at a time when we know that California Democrats have failed and we are going to vote for a Republican governor, and he has swindled his way into the Republican side, even though he’s not.”
“I probably did say that. I didn’t use the word swindled, whatever it was. But that context, I will agree with that 100 percent,” Bianco admitted.
“So you did say the quote?” Collins asked.
“Sure.”
Video footage of the interview shows that Collins’ quote was correct and that Bianco did say “swindled.”
Bianco, who has served as sheriff of Riverside County since 2019, endorsed President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
In a tongue-in-cheek video posted to social media, Bianco joked that he was “switching teams” after growing tired of seeing criminals continuously receive what he claimed was preferential treatment.
“I think it’s time that instead of letting them out of jail and giving them alcohol and drugs and everything else, I think it’s time we put a felon in the White House,” Bianco said.
Seven gubernatorial candidates participated in Tuesday night’s debate: Democrats Antonio Villaraigosa, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, Xavier Becerra, and Matt Mahan, and Republicans Hilton and Bianco. The incumbent governor, Trump foe Gavin Newsom, is term-limited and unable to run for a third term.
California’s gubernatorial primary—which is a nonpartisan, top-two primary that will see the top two candidates advance regardless of party affiliation—is scheduled for June 2. Hilton and Bianco are currently leading the polls, which means Democrats could be locked out of the Nov. 3 election entirely unless they manage to unite behind a single candidate.
