Former Fox News presenter and David Cameron adviser Steve Hilton launched a bid to become California’s next governor, positioning himself as a Republican outsider aiming to break decades of Democratic dominance, according to Politico.
His campaign confirmed the move on Monday, setting up a high-stakes battle within the GOP ahead of the state’s 2026 “jungle primary”.
Hilton, a British-born conservative who relocated to California in 2012, unveiled his candidacy with a blistering critique of the state’s Democratic leadership. In a campaign video, he juxtaposed his vision of a revitalised California against an image of Vice President Kamala Harris – a potential rival – declaring it “time to end the years of Democrat failure”.
Let’s make California an inspiration, again, the very best of America. There’s only one way to do that. We’ve got to end the one-party rule that got us into this mess.
The 54-year-old entrepreneur and Stanford academic has long telegraphed his ambitions, recently publishing a book lambasting California’s governance on issues from homelessness to energy policy. His platform promises to restore the state as “the very best of America” by dismantling “one-party rule”, a reference to Democrats’ uninterrupted hold on the governorship since 2011.
Hilton enters a Republican field already featuring Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, setting the stage for a contentious primary. Under California’s top-two system, both candidates must appeal not just to the GOP base but to a broader electorate in hopes of securing a runoff spot.
The race will test whether Hilton’s blend of transatlantic conservatism – he has praised both Donald Trump and Margaret Thatcher – can resonate in a state where Republicans last won a gubernatorial race in 2006 with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Hilton’s campaign kicks off formally on Tuesday with an event in Huntington Beach, a Republican-leaning Orange County enclave.
