When it comes to the Republican candidates for California governor in 2026, the two who regularly poll ahead of the others — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton — come from vastly different backgrounds.

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Bianco, who is often seen sporting a cowboy hat, grew up in a small mining town in Utah, moving to Southern California in 1989. Four years later, he graduated from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Academy at, according to his campaign bio, the top of his class.

To many, the 57-year-old is the no-nonsense, law-and-order candidate who championed Proposition 36, the 2024 voter-approved ballot measure that increased penalties for certain drug and retail theft crimes, and has made public safety a pillar of his campaign.

Then there’s Hilton,

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