(The Center Square) \u2013 Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton, the two leading Republican candidates for California governor, both failed to get an endorsement Sunday from the California Republican Party less than 60 days before the June 2 primary election.<\/p>\n
Bianco got 49% of the delegates’ votes and Hilton, 44%, at the California Republican Convention at the Sheraton San Diego Resort. That put both short of the required 60% threshold to clinch the party\u2019s endorsement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe California Republican Party has an amazing candidate problem,\u201d California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin said at the podium during the general session of the California Republican Party\u2019s third and last day of the convention.<\/p>\n
Hilton was endorsed in California\u2019s gubernatorial race by President Donald Trump on Monday.<\/p>\n
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Steve Hilton, a former Fox host who’s a leading Republican candidate for governor, stands by his campaign area at the California Republican Convention in San Diego, April 11, 2026. Photo:\u00a0Madeline Shannon \/ The Center Square<\/p>\n
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Delegates show their support for gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco at the California Republican Convention in San Diego, April 12, 2026. Photo:\u00a0Madeline Shannon \/ The Center Square<\/p>\n
The state Republican Party did make endorsements for other statewide races on the\u00a0convention’s<\/a>\u00a0third and final day. Delegates from across California voted to endorse Gloria Romero for lieutenant governor, Don Wagner for secretary of state, Herb Morgan for controller, Jennifer Hawks for treasurer and Michael Gates for attorney general. Sonja Shaw was endorsed for superintendent of public instruction and Stacy Korsgaden for insurance commissioner.<\/p>\n David Serpa, a Republican candidate for treasurer, lost the party\u2019s endorsement for that office on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n \u201cCongratulations, Jennifer Hawks,\u201d Serpa said after delegates voted to endorse Hawks instead. \u201cMy thought about it is it says more about the Republican Party than it says about me.\u201d<\/p>\n Hawks\u2019 team did not respond to The Center Square on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n The California Republican Party also announced it supports a voter identification proposal introduced at the convention this year. An initiative launched earlier this year by Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, would require Californians to have voter ID in order to cast ballots, according to previous reporting by The Center Square<\/a>.<\/p>\n