A new statewide poll released on Thursday shows Republicans firmly in command of California’s 2026 gubernatorial race after former Rep. Eric Swalwell suspended his campaign amid rape allegations and resigned from Congress.

The Emerson College Polling survey, conducted April 14-15, finds two Republicans, former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, occupying the top two spots in the jungle primary.

Under California’s system, the two highest vote-getters advance to the November general election regardless of party.

Full results (all likely voters):

• Steve Hilton (R): 17%
• Chad Bianco (R): 14%
• Tom Steyer (D): 14%
• Xavier Becerra (D): 10%
• Katie Porter (D): 10% (tied with Becerra in some breakdowns)
• Matt Mahan (D, San Jose Mayor): 5%
• Undecided: 23%

President Donald Trump has endorsed Hilton.

“I have known and respected Steve Hilton, who is running for Governor of California, for many years,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. “He is a truly fine man, one who has watched as this once great State has gone to Hell. Gavin Newscum and the Democrats have done an absolutely horrendous job. People are fleeing, crime is increasing, and Taxes are the highest of any State in the Country, maybe the World. Steve can turn it around, before it is too late, and, as President, I will help him to do so! With Federal help, and a Great Governor, like Steve Hilton, California can be better than ever before! Steve Hilton has my COMPLETE & TOTAL ENDORSEMENT. He will be a GREAT Governor and, importantly, WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!!!

Many in the GOP have noted that Trump’s endorsement could consolidate the Republican vote for Hilton, making it more difficult to lock Democrats out of the general election. This is a rare case when a split vote is actually good for defeating the left.

Among Democrats only, the vote is now split three ways: Tom Steyer at 20%, Xavier Becerra at 19%, and Katie Porter at 15%.

Emerson College Polling Executive Director Spencer Kimball noted the direct impact of Swalwell’s exit, “In the first Emerson poll since Eric Swalwell’s departure from the race for Governor, Democrats now split their vote between Tom Steyer (20%), Xavier Becerra (19%), and Katie Porter (15%), with Becerra gaining 15 points among Democrats without Swalwell on the ballot.”

The poll marks a sharp reversal from earlier surveys.

A SurveyUSA poll released just days earlier (while Swalwell was still in the race) had Steyer leading with 21% and Hilton at 18%.

In the Emerson poll from March, Republicans had held steady leads, but Democratic support was more consolidated behind Swalwell.

California has not elected a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger’s re-election in 2006 and has not had a GOP statewide officeholder since 2011.

The state’s deep-blue status makes the current fragmentation of the Democratic field historically significant. With 61 candidates on the primary ballot, the Democratic vote is splintered across multiple well-known figures.

Swalwell had been one of the top-polling Democrats before the allegations surfaced. He suspended his gubernatorial campaign on Sunday and announced his resignation from Congress the following day.

Multiple women accused him of sexual assault and misconduct dating back years, and a former staffer accused him of raping her twice.

Martin Shkreli and Jack Posobiec also released videos of Swalwell kissing a porn star in a bed while other men were present in the room.

Swalwell has denied the allegations.

The post BOMBSHELL POLL: Republicans Take Control of California Gubernatorial Race as Disgraced Eric Swalwell’s Downfall Hands GOP Shot at Top Two Primary Sweep appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Everything about California Governor Gavin Newsom is fake. Even the numbers on his book sales.

His new book is being touted by his allies as a best seller, but the main reason it’s selling so well is because his own political action committee has spent upwards of $1.5 million buying thousands of copies of it.

That’s one way to get on the New York Times best seller list. It’s not honest, but it’ll probably work.

Not a single thing about this man is genuine.

FOX News reports:

Newsom PAC bought thousands of memoir copies about his hardships, juicing sales

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s political action committee spent more than $1.5 million buying thousands of copies of his new memoir — accounting for about two-thirds of all copies sold nationwide — according to campaign finance filings.

The PAC spending helped propel Newsom’s memoir, “Young Man in a Hurry,” onto the New York Times bestseller list and is raising new scrutiny as his national profile builds ahead of a possible 2028 presidential run.

In November, the Campaign for Democracy Committee launched a book campaign asking donors to contribute any amount to the PAC to receive the memoir when it was released on Feb. 24. Newsom spokesperson Nathan Click told the New York Times that the PAC bought about 67,000 copies—representing a substantial portion of the 97,400 total sold.

“We were thrilled with the response,” Click told the New York Times. “Our goal was to deepen the relationship between him and the millions of folks who have already expressed support for Governor Newsom’s work.”

The PAC made two payments totaling over $1.5 million to Porchlight Book Company, according to a FEC filing posted on Wednesday and reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Newsom probably sees nothing wrong with this. He is a member of the same party that busses in paid supporters for rallies and [rotests, after all.

Will Democrats really nominate this faker in 2028?

Gavin Newsom just used his own PAC to buy $1.5 million worth of his own book. Even more comically, that accounts for 2/3 of the entire print sales. pic.twitter.com/ZvHJqScCB4

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) April 16, 2026

JUST IN: Gavin Newsom reportedly used $1.5 million from his PAC to boost own book sales, with roughly 67,000 donors receiving copies — about two-thirds of total print sales.

— Polymarket (@Polymarket) April 17, 2026

Gavin Newsom PAC Bought Thousands of Books to Boost Sales https://t.co/3AgdjujzJu pic.twitter.com/97g7OOwjvz

— TMZ (@TMZ) April 17, 2026

Newsom certainly won’t be embarrassed about this. He is incapable of feeling shame.

The post BUSTED: Gavin Newsom’s New Book is a Best Seller Because His Own Political Action Committee Spent $1.5 Million Buying Thousands of Copies appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Obama’s hideous new presidential library is set to open in June and unsurprisingly, it’s not going to be cheap. What is surprising, is how much the tickets will actually cost to get in the door.

In addition to having to show an ID, tickets are a whopping $30 for adults. Thirty dollars per ticket!

Does that come with a meal or a few drinks?

We’ve heard that they’re paying some hefty salaries at the library but $30 per ticket seems a bit ridiculous.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

The Obama Presidential Center is finally here. Prepare to pay up.

Barack Obama’s new presidential center isn’t a cheap date, and neither is his adopted hometown.

When it opens June 19, it will set at least three modern-era records for a former White House occupant: time taken to be completed, project cost and the price to get inside.

At $30, adult admission to see the 44th president’s story is more than at any other U.S. presidential library, a Wall Street Journal review shows. That is 59% higher than the average for presidents from John F. Kennedy through George W. Bush.

The top admission for the Obama Presidential Center is in keeping with the record expense of the project in a city known for complex and costly urban development, steep taxes and premium cultural attractions.

Despite the price, Chicago is certain to become a Democratic mecca for those eager to reconnect with their party’s most popular living former president. The center is expected to attract approximately 700,000 visitors annually and be an economic engine for the city, while also potentially helping transform the surrounding lower-income neighborhood.

The crowds and fundraising success (the Obama Foundation has disclosed donors of $1,001 or more) contrast with the struggles of the next Democratic president after Obama.

John Nolte of Breitbart News has a theory about this:

My guess is that after the initial excitement, that $30 price tag combined with all the cost and hassle involved in driving and parking in Chicago will slow traffic considerably. That leaves an awfully expensive infrastructure to maintain. But, not to belabor the point, we are talking about Democrats here, so I’m sure there is some scheme planned where the presidential library becomes a “Learing Center” or a phony hospice that bilks we the taxpayers out of billions.

They’ll have to keep the grift going somehow, right?

The post You Won’t BELIEVE How Much They’re Going to Charge for Admission to Obama’s Presidential Library appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Eric Swalwell has really done it now. Even Rosie O’Donnell has lost faith in him.

The far left former comedian recently posted a video to social media in which she compares Swalwell to Bill Clinton and then says that he broke her heart.

The good news for Sawlwell is that this is the least of his problems at this point. He should probably be more worried about trying to stay out of prison.

Breitbart News has details:

Rosie O’Donnell ‘Heartbroken’ over Eric Swalwell Scandal, Compares Disgraced Democrat to Bill Clinton: ‘Men Suck’

Rosie O’Donnell says she is “heartbroken” over former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA)’s sexual assault allegations, declaring “men suck” after comparing the disgraced Democrat’s scandal to former President Bill Clinton.

“Can we talk a little bit about Eric Swalwell?” O’Donnell said in a Monday TikTok video. “I know that guy, in the ‘What kind of way?’ Like, spoke to him on the phone a couple times, donated money to him, I believe.”

“Talked about him in some public appearances years ago, about how I believed in him, and his cute little family and two kids, and standing up to all those people when he berates them for their moralist behavior,” the comedian continued.

“And then all this comes out about him, and it’s heartbreaking to me,” she added. “And I wrote him. I wrote him a little message, and I said, ‘You know, Bill Clinton broke my heart, and now you did, too.’ You know the conclusion I’ve come to? Men suck.”

Here’s the video:

Eric Swalwell broke Rossie O’Donnell’s heart!

Sorry guys now she believes that all men suck! pic.twitter.com/65pe5sCcdN

— Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) April 16, 2026

Isn’t it just typical that Rosie reduces the entire problem to men?

Did all men commit these alleged assaults or just one man, Rosie? Also, do women never do awful things?

She’ll never change.

The post Rosie O’Donnell Has a Sad Over the Eric Swalwell Scandal: ‘You Broke My Heart’ (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is currently embroiled in some sort of feud with the city council over a raise for tipped workers and it’s not going the way he wants so he is lashing out.

This week, while he was remarking on the situation, he suddenly veered into the topic of reparations and then claimed that the restaurant industry has ties to slavery.

How was this man elected mayor of a major city? It really seems like there’s something wrong with him.

FOX News reports:

Chicago mayor links restaurant industry to ‘slavery’ as tipped wage fight intensifies

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson linked the restaurant industry to “slavery” Wednesday as he defended his push to eliminate the tipped wage, doubling down after surviving a City Council effort to block the policy.

Johnson’s remarks came after the Chicago City Council failed to override his veto of a measure that would have halted the city’s phaseout of the subminimum wage for tipped workers — a policy set to raise base pay to the full minimum wage by 2028 that is opposed by restaurant owners who warn it could drive up prices and cut jobs.

He called on Chicagoans to “challenge city council not to do stuff like take wages away from Black and Brown people,” saying that most workers in the service industry who rely on tips are minorities.

“You just watched the entire city council, in transparency, try to take wages away from the very people who are part of an industry that has its ties to slavery is hiding from that,” Johnson said. “I am boldly declaring that we need reparations in this city, and that’s why I’m funding it.”

What is he even talking about?

Here’s the video:

Brandon Johnson today on his administration’s transparency regarding his Reparations Task Force:

“I’m a black man in America calling for the reparations of black people!”

Johnson then asserted the restaurant industry is tied to slavery. pic.twitter.com/KOOBo6igc2

— Chicago Contrarian (@ChicagoContrar1) April 15, 2026

Where is the reparations money going to come from? He spent it all on illegal aliens.

He always call’s for reparations when he knows there isn’t any money left. This distracts the people that would ask “Where all the money go?” The answer? ILLEGAL ALIENS

— Christos Blanco (@sickofdischit) April 16, 2026

How did Chicago ever manage to elect such a severely mentally challenged imbecile?

— MedMusicVibes (@MusicMed31309) April 15, 2026

He has been worse than Lori Lightfoot, and that’s really saying something.

The post Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Calls for Reparations and Claims Restaurants Are Tied to Slavery in Bizarre Rant (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.