California’s Governor Race Could Hand MAGA a Shocking Win — Here’s What’s at Stake

California’s 2026 gubernatorial race is shaping up to be a chaotic free-for-all, with 61 candidates on the ballot but only seven serious contenders making the debate stage. Among them are two Republicans with deep MAGA ties: Chad Bianco, Riverside County’s sheriff who staged a legally questionable ballot seizure to curry Trump’s favor, and Steve Hilton, a former Fox commentator personally endorsed by Trump.

The Santa Barbara Independent’s Nick Welsh paints a grim picture. The state’s open primary system means the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the November runoff. With five Democrats splitting the progressive vote and two Republicans dividing the MAGA base, there’s a real risk that Bianco and Hilton could finish first and second — handing a Trump-friendly duo a shot at the governor’s office.

This is no small threat. Both MAGA candidates have embraced cruelty and conspiracy theories as political currency. Bianco’s sudden obsession with voter fraud mirrors the baseless claims that undermined democracy nationwide. Hilton’s campaign rides on Trump’s endorsement, signaling a continuation of authoritarian overreach.

The Independent’s editorial team is wrestling with which Democrat to back — billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer or former Attorney General Xavier Becerra — but the choice feels like picking between two flawed options. What’s clear is that any candidate cozying up to Trump’s brand of corruption and chaos is unfit to lead California.

California’s open primary system, a relatively recent innovation born from past political reforms, now risks enabling a MAGA takeover in the nation’s fourth-largest economy. The stakes couldn’t be higher: a governor’s mansion commandeered by those who see cruelty and chaos as governance.

Voters face a stark choice. Do they risk letting MAGA’s red hats march into Sacramento, or do they rally behind the best available candidates to keep authoritarianism at bay? The Independent’s message is clear: don’t gamble on “probably not.” The fight for California’s future starts now.