SACRAMENTO, California — Former Fox News host Steve Hilton announced on Monday he will run for California governor, seeking to become the state’s first Republican chief executive since Arnold Schwarzenegger, his campaign confirmed to POLITICO on Monday.
Hilton, who also served as an adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron, had long been considering a run and recently released a book criticizing what he sees as the failings of California’s Democratic leadership and offering policy prescriptions. He is the second major GOP candidate to enter the 2026 field, following Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
The Republican invoked former Vice President Kamala Harris — who is considering a run for governor — in his launch video. “It’s time to end the years of Democrat failure,” Hilton says over an image of Harris.
“Let’s make California an inspiration, again, the very best of America,” Hilton said. “There’s only one way to do that. We’ve got to end the one-party rule that got us into this mess.”
Republicans have largely consolidated behind one of their party’s candidates in California’s recent statewide elections, ensuring that one of their candidates emerges from the state’s “jungle primary,” in which the top two contenders, regardless of party, continue on to a run-off general election. Hilton’s entry places him on a collision course with Bianco to win their party’s favor by June of next year.
Hilton’s performance in the next few months will not only be a test of his support relative to Bianco’s but of the conservative movement’s momentum in California — where Republicans have long been sidelined but enjoyed some electoral wins down the ballot in November.
After growing up in Britain and working for the Conservative Party, Hilton moved to California in 2012. He has taught at Stanford University and founded the tech startup Crowdpac since moving to the states, and until 2023 hosted “The Next Revolution” on Fox News — where has remained a contributor.
Hilton has also been a strong supporter of President Donald Trump and expressed deep admiration for former United Kingdom Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in his campaign video.
He has already filed paperwork to run for the office and has a public event in Huntington Beach — a conservative Orange County city — planned Tuesday.
Read the full article here
