The betting odds aren't great, there’s no arguing the point, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. In fact, for the first time in decades, there’s a greater chance that the Golden State could actually vote in a Republican governor than we’ve seen since the days of Arnold Schwarzenegger. (You may not have total affection for his stint in office, but he was light-years better than what we’ve seen in recent times with the likes of that utterly failed home and state-wrecker, Gavin Newsom.)
In a one-party progressive state dominated by special interest union money and endemic corruption, the Democrats on the far-left have figured out a way to marginalize over a quarter of the state’s population, silence their voices, and maintain a near-total grip on power.
Newsom is termed out in January '27, and the race to be his successor is heating up. For a moment, it looked like former Rep. Katie Porter had the inside track on the gig, but then videos of her bullying and contemptible behavior came to light, and her numbers dropped like a stone tossed into Lake Tahoe. Along came the cocky, tough-talking former Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-14), who, as a certified slobbering Trump hater, rose to the top of the polls.
I think we all know what happened to him.
KRAZY CAL: Toxic Katie Porter Goes From Bad to Worse, Pathetically Tries to Explain Abusive Videos
Swalwell Refuses to Go Quietly Into the Night As Lawyer Issues Statement Saying It's All a 'Hit Job'
All along, however, two Republicans — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host and British government veteran Steve Hilton — have been quietly polling strongly. No sex scandals, no pouring of hot potatoes over their spouses, no visits to the French Laundry in the darkest days of the COVID lockdowns.
And this is where the game gets interesting. The top two vote-getters in the open primary in June advance to the general election in November, meaning, of course, that if Bianco and Hilton are the two, a Republican is guaranteed to win the job.
Dems have been nervous about this for months, which might explain the sudden brutal cancellation of Swalwell:
GET REAL: Open letter from @CA_Dem chair Rusty Hicks to NINE Democratic candidates for #CAgov urging them to get real with themselves and drop out if they don’t have a VIABLE path to win.
— Christine Pelosi (@sfpelosi) March 3, 2026
9 Democrats risk handing top 2 slots to Republicans in June. https://t.co/NAUuKuyJYK pic.twitter.com/mtQjattMsE
Is such an outcome impossible? No. You see, there are a whole lot of Dems running, and that could split the vote:
(the actual ballot is 24 Democrats, 23 independents, 12 Republicans, 1 Libertarian, and 1 Peace & Freedom Party candidate. Filing closed on March 6th. Candidates can drop out, but their names will remain on the ballot) https://t.co/uYBuGRitaZ
— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) April 11, 2026
You think Swalwell is done? He’s not. His name will still appear on the ballot. As we know, many leftists don’t actually read the news, and will vote “D” even if it’s a dead donkey running, and many will choose Swalwell, having no idea that he’s given up.
That’s a good thing.
Many theorize that the obviously concerted Democrat effort to engineer Swalwell’s downfall was to clear the field. If the Democrat vote fractures and people go for Porter, former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, the alleged sexual predator Swalwell, bat guano crazy Antifa-wannabe billionaire Tom Steyer, former CA Attorney General Xavier Becerra, or some former state controller named Betty Yee, that could leave both Bianco and Hilton in the two top spots.
And that, my friends, is the only way conservatives come out ahead on this thing. If it’s Steve Hilton against an alien from the planet Ork who is a Democrat, Orkans everywhere will be celebrating come election night.
If it comes down to Bianco against a rabies-infected rodent with a “D” by his name, mindless California voters will give the rodent the W.
Yes, it’s that deranged and toxic here. They don’t care who they vote for, they don’t care about the facts, they don’t care that their state has been ravaged under one-party Democratic rule, all they care about is that they vote against Orange Man Bad, please their woke neighbors, and can feel that they were spear-carriers in “The Resistance.”
Trump has endorsed Hilton, who has run a solid campaign with his slogan, “Make California Golden Again.” But Bianco, too, has one of his own that’s pretty good: “Only the Sheriff can save us now.”
Either one of them would be infinitely better than the slew of extremists on the Democrat side who have driven this state into despair. There’s one way, therefore, that we could end the nightmare failure cycle — and that’s if they’re the only two left standing after the June primary.
Such an outcome would prevent a Democrat from becoming the next California governor. It is the way — and regardless of which one you like — it is probably the only way.
