California GOP votes to endorse governor pick after Trump backs Hilton

California Republicans will vote this weekend to certify their pick for California governor in the race to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The vote at the California GOP’s annual convention in San Diego this Sunday comes a week after President Donald Trump sided with the two major Republican candidates in the race, endorsing conservative commentator and former Fox News Channel host Steve Hilton over Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

Trump, whose support was extremely influential in the GOP primaries, said in his statement of support that California was “going to hell” and that “Steve can turn it around before it’s too late, and as President, I will help him do it!” he said.

The president’s support for Hilton is expected to bear immediate fruit at the state GOP convention.

HERE IS WHO TRUMP SUPPORTED IN THE GOLDEN STATE GOVERNOR CONTEST

“I definitely think this could help rally the base behind a candidate and create some noise and enthusiasm,” Corrin Rankin, chair of the California Republican Party, told Fox News Digital.

Bianco is a staunch Trump supporter with many friends and support among California Republicans. But Trump’s endorsement of Hilton, who was a top adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron fifteen years before moving to the United States and becoming an American citizen in 2021, could boost him at the GOP convention, where the support of 60% of delegates is needed to win the party’s endorsement.

But Bianco, the sheriff who recently gained national attention for his seizure of ballots in Riverside County, struck a defiant tone.

“For too long, politicians and insiders from Sacramento to Washington have tried to pick our leaders for us. This isn’t leadership, this is a coronation, and that’s exactly how we got the failed leadership that Californians live with today,” he said in a social media video. “This choice belongs to the people, not the political class.”

Tough on Crime REPUBLICAN SHERIFF STARTS BID FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR

Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2024 in Washington, DC. This week marks National Police Week, when thousands of police officers from departments across the country come to Washington, D.C. to honor law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

Trump’s confirmation could have other unintended consequences.

Candidates from both major political parties are on the same ballot in the left-leaning state’s June primary, with the top two candidates advancing to the general election in November.

Some Democrats were concerned that with nine candidates in the race, support among Democratic voters would be so badly split in the primary that neither candidate would qualify for the general election. Hilton and Bianco had been the top two candidates in some polls, giving some in the GOP hope for a final showdown between the two Republicans.

This scenario is now less likely, as Hilton’s support is expected to increase and Bianco’s fall with the president’s support. Surveys conducted last week hinted at a rise in Hilton.

Rob Pyers of California Target Book, which describes itself as a nonpartisan and unbiased political almanac, wrote in a social media post last week: “Trump is destroying GOP hopes of an R vs R runoff in the race for California governor.”

MEDIA PERSONALITY STEVE HILTON ENTERS THE RACE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR

Trump’s endorsement of Hilton sent shock waves through the Republican Party in California. (Alex Brandon/AP)

But Hilton ignored pipe-dream talk of keeping Democrats out of the general election vote.

“The scenario of two Republicans [making the general election ballot]”I’ve been saying this for months, it’s always been a dream,” Hilton said on Fox Business’ “The Bottom Line.” “The idea that the Democratic machine in California would cede the state to two Republicans was never serious. That was never, ever going to happen.”

He also said, “What was actually more likely was … there would be two Democrats in the top two and then we wouldn’t have a chance to switch. So that really makes it possible to have a Republican in the top two.”

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No Republican has won a statewide election in California since then—Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s re-election victory in 2006.

And with the president’s approval rating in California hovering in the 30s, Trump’s endorsement likely won’t do Hilton any favors if he gets on the ballot in November.