California’s GOP is divided over the governor’s race despite Trump

from Maya S. MillerCalMatters

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Although President Donald Trump put his thumb on the scale, California Republicans refused to unite behind a single gubernatorial candidate this weekend.

The party faithful, many of whom wore Trump 2028 hats and paid more than $1,000 for hotel and flights to gather in sunny San Diego, split their votes relatively evenly between Steve Hilton, a businessman and former Fox News anchor who received the president’s endorsement, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

The final tally was 49% for Bianco and 44% for Hilton, both falling short of the 60% threshold needed to win the party’s support.

Hilton, a British-American who leads all candidates in the polls, entered the weekend as a relative party outsider. He called locking down Bianco’s endorsement a “huge success” and said he remains “very confident” he will secure one of the top two seats in California’s June 2 primary.

“Chad Bianco came to this convention assuming he had it all in the bag,” Hilton said. “I think we made a lot of progress this weekend to make it about even.”

Sheriff, who spent months wooing delegates and party people for the endorsement, was adamant that the final result did not accurately reflect how much party support he had.

Hilton, one of the top fundraisers in the race, has raised more than $6.6 million so far, surpassing Bianco’s earnings by more than $2 million.

“It doesn’t change anything for our campaign,” Bianco said after Sunday’s vote. Although he fell short of even a majority of the vote, he also insisted: “I have a super majority of support in this room, much more than the totals indicated.”

“The endorsements are stupid,” he added, before also admitting that a party endorsement “would be nice.”

Bianco made headlines last month for seized hundreds of thousands of ballots ran in the special election on Proposition 50, the Democratic plan to redraw congressional districts that voters approved. CalMatters was one of several news organizations that approached the court to unseal the orders which allowed his ballots to be seized.

Uncertainty about the future of the GOP

There was no denying that Republicans nationally could face brutal losses in the upcoming midterm elections, though the ocean breeze, harbor views and sunny weather in the mid-60s may have taken the edge off. Even some of the party’s conservative stalwarts acknowledged the uphill battle.

Speaking on a congressional panel moderated by former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, Congressman Darrell Issa acknowledged that Republicans “may not hold the House during the midterm elections.”

Issa, who chose to retire rather than seek re-election after Democrats significantly redrawn his 48th District as part of Proposition 50 Redirection Planagreed that Republicans should focus on local issues — not just national talking points — as a way to combat what he called “Trump derangement syndrome.”

“Is our base on fire?” Spicer asked Congressman Tom McClintock, who also spoke on the panel.

“I think maybe by the summer,” McClintock said, “after we get through all the turbulence from Iran.”

The attacking Democrats provided some comedic relief and unity despite the bleak outlook — the president’s party almost always loses in midterm elections. California Republicans enjoyed the the downfall of Democratic Rep. Eric Swawellwho has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault and until this weekend was the Democratic front-runner in the race for governor. His potential ouster added fuel to Republicans’ argument that Democrats, whose gubernatorial vote is split among eight candidates, are incapable of consistent leadership.

“It’s been a few hours, so I think we’re in for another Eric Swawell ‘intern break,'” Hilton joked early in his remarks at a candidate forum Saturday. “Good thing the Democrats have a great backup plan.”

Trump “should have stayed away.”

Political strategists theorized that Trump’s endorsement of Hilton would guarantee a Democratic victory in November because it would consolidate the GOP vote and eliminate the possibility of Republicans blocking Democrats from June’s first two primaries.

But the party faithful in San Diego remain confident that both Hilton and Bianco will continue to outperform the dysfunctional Democratic field. Corinne Rankin, chairman of the California Republican Party, pointed to multiple polls showing Hilton and Bianco finishing in the top two.

“I don’t see why that hasn’t been the case yet,” Rankin told reporters on Friday. “Californians see these two Republicans as better than any of the candidates the Democrats have put forward.”

Rankin also said she was surprised that Trump was weighing in on something related to California. “It’s not something he usually does,” she said.

Bianco said he was not worried about Trump’s decision to endorse his opponent. Throughout the weekend, he was given the celebrity treatment, walking around the resort with an entourage of supporters. Fans stopped him for selfies and videos for their social media channels. Many of them waved flags and signs with his name and phrases like “Only the sheriff can save us now!”

“It’s never been about endorsements for me,” Bianco said after Saturday’s forum, where candidates for statewide office made their final pleas to delegates. “That momentum, that excitement was amazing. It definitely fired me up. It’s proving to me that I’m doing the right thing and we’re going to save our country.”

The sheriff’s supporters were also undeterred by Trump’s support for his opponent.

“I’m not going to change my vote. I don’t care who he supports. I’m voting for the best candidate for the state of California, and that’s not who I think he supported,” said April Huckabee, a delegate from Santa Barbara County. “He should have stayed away,” she added. “Let’s run our country.”

Huckabee and her friend Lee Collier, also of Santa Barbara, agreed that the president’s endorsement would not sway Bianco’s supporters. But it might make some people who were on the fence think twice about Hilton.

Some of Hilton’s supporters were cautiously optimistic about the president’s endorsement, but also had a keen eye for how his association with Trump could backfire with people who dislike the president.

“There are so many people who just hate our president that you wonder, ‘Could this backfire?'” said Pat Frizzelli, delegate and treasurer of the Calaveras County Central Committee. “You’re just worrying.”

Vicki Reinke, chairwoman of the Calaveras County Central Committee, said she was impressed with Hilton’s business experience as a startup founder, as well as his experience working with British Prime Minister David Cameron. She also liked his ready attitude and his willingness to move on.

The annual Lincoln-Reagan dinner in their district to raise fundswhere Hilton was scheduled to be the keynote speaker, came on the same day as the funeral of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Reinke was impressed that Hilton came to their event after attending the funeral in Glendale, Arizona.

“He could have canceled,” she said. “But he made sure he was still at our event as well as going to see Charlie Kirk. We were very impressed with that.”

“Promises made, promises kept,” Frizelli repeated.

Hilton argues that Trump’s endorsement can only help him by igniting the party base, as Democrats will try to tie a Republican candidate like him to the president regardless. And despite the hopes of party leaders, he was also confident that there would be no upset of the top two Republicans in June.

“It’s very clear that I’m going to be in the top two. I don’t know who the Democrat is going to be, but it’s going to be a Democrat for sure,” Hilton said.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.