The day after President Trump endorsed former Fox News host Steve Hilton for California governor, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco denounced the decision in a post on social media Monday.

“For too long, politicians and insiders from Sacramento to Washington have tried to pick our leaders for us,” Bianco said on social media. “That’s not leadership. That’s a coronation.”

Bianco is the other leading GOP candidate alongside Hilton, and may be one of two Republicans who could appear on the ballot during the general election in November.

The Riverside County sheriff had  previously shown support for Trump, including during the 2024 presidential election when Bianco said, “I think it’s time we put a felon in the White House.”

Hilton’s campaign thanked Trump for his endorsement on social media.

“With President Trump’s full backing and federal support, we are going to take California back and make it better than ever before,” the campaign wrote.

While some Democrats are concerned about a Republican-only runoff, California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks said Trump’s decision won’t slow down the party’s efforts.

“We’ll remember this as the moment Hilton won the favor of the unpredictable, unpopular con artist in the White House,” Hicks said. “Trump’s endorsement of Hilton does little to change the work for California Democrats.”

The Democratic Party could be at risk of having no candidates on the general election ballot due to the crowded field and California’s “top-two” primary system.

Hicks previously urged Democratic candidates without “viability” to drop out of the race to prevent that outcome.

“While (the Republican-only run-off) is implausible, it is not impossible,” Hicks said in an open letter in March. “It is imperative that every candidate honestly assess the viability of their candidacy and campaign.”

There are over 50 candidates for governor, including eight established Democrats and the two leading Republicans.

California law makes it so that only the two candidates who receive the most votes during the primary election on June 2 will show up on the general election ballot.

A recent UC Berkeley poll showed that Hilton and Bianco have 17% and 16% of the support, respectively, while Democratic candidates Eric Swalwell and Katie Porter both have 13%.