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Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco on His Faith, Cutting Taxes and Ballot Seizure

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Sheriff Chad Bianco speaks with KQED politics reporter Marisa Lagos for Political Breakdown at the KQED offices in San Francisco on April 23, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is one of the top polling candidates in the race for California governor. The Republican contender has spent his career in law enforcement, and despite being a longtime supporter of President Donald Trump, Bianco did not win the president’s endorsement.

Bianco sits down with Marisa to talk about his pledge to cut taxes and spending. They discuss his being “raised by a town of men” in Utah, how his evangelical faith shapes his approach to public service and how his experience as a sheriff equips him to govern the state. He also addresses his past membership in the Oath Keepers militia group and why his office seized hundreds of thousands of ballots from the 2025 election.

This interview is part of a series of conversations with the 2026 gubernatorial candidates for California. The primary election is June 2.

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