Two leading Republican candidates for California governor, former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, rolled into Clovis on Friday night with a simple mission: lock down Central Valley conservatives before the June 2 primary. Speaking to a crowd focused on water, crime and a Capitol they see as distant and dismissive, the rivals spent most of the evening taking aim at Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic lawmakers instead of each other.
Moderated by State Sen. Shannon Grove and hosted by the Fresno County & City Republican Women Federated, the forum doubled as a fundraiser and dinner, according to the Los Angeles Times. The paper reported that Hilton, who secured President Donald Trump’s endorsement in April, has opened a polling edge over Bianco. Both men tried to convince attendees they are the Republicans’ best bet in California’s top-two primary, trading dueling visions for Sacramento rather than trading insults.
Clovis Crowd And The Event
Local outlets reported that roughly 450 to 500 people filled the Regency Event Center for the dinner and forum. The Fresno Bee put attendance at about 500 and recorded reactions after the forum, while an event listing on KMJ detailed the venue and ticket information for the gathering on Willow Avenue in Clovis. Organizers said the night was also designed to raise money for the Fresno County & City Republican Women Federated.
Shared Targets And Sweeping Promises
Hilton and Bianco largely shared the same villains and the same headlines for their platforms: water policy and public safety. Both promised aggressive changes to state agencies and regulations. According to the Los Angeles Times, they vowed to build new dams and raise existing ones to increase water storage, and each pledged to replace every member of the state’s parole review board. Hilton went further, promising to eliminate the California Environmental Quality Act, the California Coastal Commission and the state Air Resources Board.
Polls And The Top-Two Math
A poll commissioned by the California Democratic Party put Hilton at 22% of likely voters, with Xavier Becerra at 21% and Bianco around 10%, according to the Sacramento Bee. Under California’s Top Two system, the two highest vote-getters advance to November regardless of party, a setup explained by the California Secretary of State. Those numbers have some Republicans privately musing about a long-shot scenario in which two GOP candidates squeeze Democrats out of the general election altogether.
Trump’s Endorsement Looms Large
Bianco told the Fresno Bee he worries that Trump’s backing could be a double-edged sword for Hilton, arguing it might make the former commentator too polarizing for a statewide November race. “In no world, no world does Steve Hilton beat a Democrat in November,” Bianco said, contending that his own law-enforcement record gives him a better shot at winning over independents and some Democrats on public-safety issues. That debate, national profile versus perceived electability, lingered in the analysis after the forum wrapped.
What To Watch Before The Primary
County elections offices will begin mailing ballots on or before May 4, and the primary remains set for June 2, according to the California Secretary of State. With ballots already heading to mailboxes, turnout in the Central Valley, particularly among independents and crossover Democrats, could prove pivotal. If Democratic votes splinter and Republican turnout stays strong, the quirks of the top-two rules might give the GOP an unusual path into November.
For Valley conservatives, the decision now sits between two familiar flavors of Republican politics: one anchored in national party muscle, the other rooted in a law-and-order résumé. In a matter of days, Central Valley voters will show whether either strategy can bend California’s unpredictable primary math in their favor.
