California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, right, talks to people after a campaign event on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Los Angeles.
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Republican Steve Hilton has kicked off his general election campaign for governor against Democrat Xavier Becerra. At an event in Los Angeles and in a series of ads on Wednesday, the former Fox News commentator railed against the state's punishing gas and utility prices and its failure to get control of a long-running homeless crisis. He also urged left-leaning voters who dominate the state to consider voting for him, even if they loathe President Donald Trump. The president has endorsed Hilton. “This election is not about who you hate in Washington,” Hilton says. Becerra is favored to hold the seat in the heavily Democratic state.
