Brian Deegan, a motocross legend and entrepreneur, has publicly endorsed Republican Chad Bianco for California governor, arguing that Governor Gavin Newsom’s policies have hollowed out opportunity and public safety in the state. Deegan frames his support around restoring law enforcement, family values, and the economic promise that once made California a magnet for dreamers. He uses his own story as evidence that the California people once knew has been eroded by overreach and soft-on-crime policies.
Deegan, known for founding Metal Mulisha and for his X Games and off-road career, described a shift he finds hard to swallow. “People used to come to California to try to build their business and chase that dream. And now, people are moving out of California to chase the same dream,” he said, pointing to an exodus driven by higher costs and shrinking opportunity. For him, that loss of promise is personal and political.
He told the story of arriving to pursue a career in action sports and building a sizable brand in the community. He explained that he came to California “to chase my dreams, to be a supercross action sports star [and] built a great empire within the action sport community.” Now he sees those routes closed off for many who would once have taken that leap.
Safety in neighborhoods is a central gripe for Deegan, who blames lax enforcement and policies he sees as favoring criminals over residents. Deegan said that besides what he described as rampant overregulation, one of the things he has found most alarming is the decline in safety in California neighborhoods because of laws not being enforced. “A lot of places that I’ve lived in California have really gone the wrong way. And I’m like, man, I’m scared to even have my kids really roam the streets nowadays because how loose they are on the laws and letting criminals get away with almost everything,” he warned.
He also criticized the pandemic-era handling under Newsom as a sign of misplaced priorities and uneven burdens on ordinary people. On that chapter he said California “led the charge on the most extreme lockdowns.” “Now we look back on it, kind of going, ‘Man, what happened?” he said. “Newsom was way overbearing while he’s out partying, still living the high life, while everyone’s on lockdowns.”
With Newsom term-limited and whispers of a national run, Deegan is blunt about his view of the future. “Bring it on,” he said when asked about a possible high-profile campaign, arguing it would sharpen the contrast Republicans can draw on governance and priorities. That contrast, he believes, makes a strong case for a law-and-order candidate at the state level.
Deegan explicitly named Chad Bianco as the kind of leader he thinks California needs to turn the ship around. “It’s time for a man like Chad Bianco to take control of California.” He criticized the current political class as out of touch, asking rhetorically why people like Newsom ever attain power when they do not reflect the majority of Californians’ values and concerns.
He pushed a familiar Republican argument about restoration and competence, stressing legal clarity and family values as central to recovery. “I always kind of wonder how guys that are in power, such as Newsom, like how do they even get in power? Because they don’t really represent the common people that really are the majority of California,” he said. “There’s been so much damage done. But it’s going to take someone that understands the law, that is not going to bend, has good family values, that could get the state back on track.”
Deegan leaned on the idea of reclaiming California as a land of opportunity, not a place people feel forced to leave. “I’d like to see it get back to how it was. I thought it was a land of opportunity. You came to California to make dreams happen, and I feel like that has gotten very narrow,” Deegan added. “I mean, you have everything here, and I feel like we’ve just let it go as far as how it’s been run. And I think the majority of the people in California want it back.”
When asked about Deegan’s remarks, the governor’s office offered a terse, dismissive reply that underscored the political distance between the two camps. A spokesperson for Newsom dismissed Deegan’s critiques, sending a one-word response to Fox News Digital asking, “Who?” The exchange captures the tone of a race where messaging about safety, freedom, and prosperity is likely to dominate debates moving forward.
