Republican Steve Hilton has advanced to California’s November gubernatorial election, setting up a general-election matchup with Democrat Xavier Becerra in a race likely to center on taxes, state spending and the direction of California government.
Hilton, a British American former Fox News host, had about 25% of the vote in the June 2 primary, with roughly 88% of ballots counted as of Tuesday night. Under California’s top-two primary system, the two candidates with the most votes move on to the November ballot regardless of party affiliation.
Becerra, a Democrat and former California attorney general who later served as U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, emerged from a crowded field of Democratic contenders.
In a statement, Hilton said he would lead a “movement for change” in California and portrayed Becerra as a continuation of what he described as years of Democratic control in Sacramento.
“My mission is clear: go to Sacramento, end the corruption, cut your costs, help your businesses and improve our schools,” Hilton said. “We cannot keep voting the same way and expect different results.”
Hilton’s second-place finish shuts billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer out of the November race, despite Steyer spending $215 million of his own money on a populist campaign that heavily advertised across the state. His defeat turns the general election into a more traditional partisan contest during a midterm election year, rather than the all-Democratic showdown Steyer’s supporters had hoped for.
Steyer conceded Tuesday night and endorsed Becerra for November. In his statement, he said he was proud to have angered utility companies, technology firms and major oil interests, and said he did not blame voters who “simply could not bring themselves to vote for a billionaire.”
“It is absolutely essential that Trump’s handpicked candidate not be given the keys to California,” Steyer said, referring to Hilton.
With several Democrats splitting the vote, Hilton led polling for much of the primary campaign. He appealed to conservative voters by promising to cut income taxes and the gas tax, expand oil drilling and roll back environmental regulations, including state greenhouse gas reduction mandates.
Hilton has framed his campaign as a chance for Californians facing high costs to end what he calls “16 years of one-party rule.” Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the last Republican to lead California, left office in 2011.
“The people of California have been very generous in giving the Democratic Party the opportunity to show that their ideas work,” Hilton said last week during a Sacramento news conference where he declared victory early. “I think patience is running out.”
Still, Hilton faces steep odds in November. Democrats outnumber Republicans in California by nearly two to one. While Hilton argues that voters are ready for a different course, Republican candidates have routinely reached the general election for governor over the past two decades, and Democrats have won every race except Schwarzenegger’s.
Hilton also has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, who remains deeply unpopular among California voters. Hilton has not distanced himself from that support.
“I think it will be very helpful for Californians to have a governor who has a good working relationship with the president and his team,” Hilton said.
Hilton’s central campaign pledge is to eliminate the state income tax on the first $100,000 of income and create a flat tax rate for earnings above that amount. Last week, he said his campaign would consider raising that threshold after reviewing California’s cost of living. Either proposal would significantly reduce state revenue, which Hilton has said he would offset by cutting one-third of state spending.
He has not detailed how he would win approval for such a plan from a Legislature controlled by Democratic supermajorities.
Hilton was born in London to Hungarian immigrant parents. He began his political career with Britain’s Conservative Party and played a prominent role in the rise of Prime Minister David Cameron in 2010. In 2012, he moved to Silicon Valley, where his wife worked as a Google executive, and later entered the startup world. He launched a weekly Fox News program, “The Next Revolution,” in 2017 during Trump’s first presidency. The show aired until 2023.
Original source: CalMatters
