Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco leads big over challenger Michael Lujan in bid for second term
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco handily held off a challenge from Michael Lujan in his bid for a second term, capturing 59% of the votes to Lujan's 41% with all 795 precincts reporting Wednesday.
Bianco garnered 110,841 votes and Lujan had 78,530 votes.
Election night vote counting is complete but results are not final, according to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters. Approximately 136,000 vote-by-mail and 2,000 provisional ballots still must be processed. Ballots that are postmarked on or before Election Day also remain to be counted. The updated results are expected at 6 p.m. Thursday.
The Secretary of State must certify results by July 15.
Neither Bianco more Lujan returned The Desert Sun's request for comment Wednesday.
Bianco, however, posted a lengthy message on his Facebook page just after midnight calling the count a "victory for Riverside County residents," that "clearly sends a strong message that identity politics and blatant lies during a campaign will not sway voters who are legitimately concerned about law enforcement and public safety.
"I look forward to leading this department for the next four years, creating a safer Riverside County," Bianco wrote. "We will continue in our goal to make Riverside County the safest place in the nation. I will also stand steadfast in protection of your Constitutional and God given rights and freedoms."
Bianco beat former Sheriff Stan Sniff in the 2018 election on a platform promising institutional change, fighting budget and contract city rate increases and opening the new jail facility in Indio. He has since become well-known in the state for his inflammatory public remarks on the COVID-19 pandemic, his harsh criticism of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, state departments, such as the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the California Legislature. He was also among some law enforcement nationwide found to have been a member of the far-right political group the Oath Keepers.
Lujan is a former captain in the department with three decades of experience before his retirement in 2020. During his tenure, Lujan was acting chief in Lake Elsinore and Wildomar. He told The Desert Sun's editorial board that he is running to reestablish the department as non-partisan. He added that he has been encouraged to run by members of the department and his own observation of Bianco's dismissive attitude toward various organizations.
Lujan, who announced his campaign relatively late, has faced a massive fundraising disadvantage, with Bianco's campaign reporting a cash balance of more than 38 times what Lujan's campaign committee had accrued.
As of late May, Bianco's campaign account had roughly $863,000 in cash on hand, more than half of which he's garnered since January, according to campaign finance filings. Bianco has drawn contributions from a wide range of individual donors, as well as tribes such as the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.
By comparison, Lujan's campaign committee reported a remaining cash balance of roughly $22,300, after raising roughly $38,000 since launching his campaign in March.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Christopher Damien covers public safety and the criminal justice system. He can be reached at christopher.damien@desertsun.com or follow him at @chris_a_damien.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Riverside County election results: Sheriff Bianco defends vs. Lujan
