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EXCLUSIVE: Hollywood icon Lorenzo Lamas is endorsing a pro-law enforcement Republican for California governor after he says that Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has had a “devastating” impact on the state.
Lamas, who is best known for his action roles in the 80’s and 90’s, told Fox News Digital he is endorsing Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco for governor, saying, “The impact on the state of California with the current [Newsom] administration is nothing short of devastating.”
Lamas said that “over the years I’ve been very careful about voicing an opinion politically,” noting that “sometimes it can affect who you work for, depending on a company’s or studio’s political point of view.”
“But I think we’re at a point now, not just in California, but I think nationwide, that we have to start at least voicing what we feel is wrong with what’s happening,” he explained.
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Riverside Republican Sheriff Chad Bianco (left) received an endorsement from Hollywood star Lorenzo Lamas (right) for California governor. (Gilbert Flores via Getty; Chad Bianco campaign)
Lamas said he was motivated to finally speak out after long watching his home state be mismanaged despite its enormous economy and abundant natural resources. He described the Democratic Party’s grip on California as “a sickness that’s permeated the state from the top to the bottom.”
“We have to figure out what we’re going to do with the people that are disenfranchised and living on the streets, the programs that supposedly are budgeted for these folks, where is that money? … There’s nobody that’s accounting for the millions of dollars that are spent on welfare programs that’s not benefiting anybody that can use it,” he said.
Regarding the several devastating natural disasters the state has experienced in recent years, Lamas said, “I grew up in Pacific Palisades, that fire devastated my hometown. The home I grew up in burned down. My elementary school burned down. Why? Because not enough budget was allocated to resources to fight the fire.”
“Not only that, the people that lost their homes in the Palisades. Many of them were second, third generation people. They cannot afford to rebuild in the city that they grew up in, the city that they came to love. Why? Well, because, hey, guess what? It takes years to get rebuilding plans approved. There’s just so much red tape, so much bureaucracy, and Chad wants to just eliminate it.”
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The aftermath of fire in Pacific Palisades and along Pacific Coast Highway. (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images))
“I’ve watched the wealthiest state in the nation become completely mismanaged by the current administration,” he went on. “It’s just it’s beyond the pale what’s happened to my state.”
Meanwhile, Lamas said that he believes Bianco, who has framed his candidacy around cost of living and public safety issues, “is the man that can really turn this thing around.”
“We’ve got to have a governor that’s pro-law enforcement, that’s going to keep our moms and our daughters safe on the streets,” he said, explaining, “I have two daughters that live in Los Angeles, and there I tell them, every single day [that] their heads got to be on a swivel. You see all the crime that’s rampant, not just in California, but all around the country. It’s permeating this beautiful nation of ours, and it really makes me sick.”
Bianco is facing a steep uphill battle to win as a Republican in deep blue California. It has been nearly two decades since a Republican won a statewide race. On the Democratic side of the aisle, California Rep. Eric Swalwell and former Rep. Katie Porter, both progressives and vocal critics of President Donald Trump, are running to replace Newsom, who is term-limited.
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Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
On whether he believes California is ready to send a Republican to the governor’s mansion, Lamas answered, “What I see in Chad is a tremendous gift of being able to present his agenda with a commonsense foundation, and that’s going to appeal to anybody with half of a brain.”
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“Last November 6th, America voted for commonsense. And I think it’s time that California votes for commonsense, and the only person that I really feel can bring that to our state is Chad Bianco.”
A spokesperson for Newsom brushed off Lamas’ criticism, sending Fox News Digital a one-word response, simply asking, “Who?”
Bianco has also been endorsed by UFC legends Royce Gracie and Dan Henderson.
