Conservative commentator and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Steve Hilton announced Monday that he is running for governor, a prominent Republican in 2026.
“California means America means America for the world. Let’s make California once again a place of opportunity. Great jobs, great homes, great kids. Let’s make California an inspiration again. “There’s only one way to do that. We have to end the one party rule that led us to this mess. It’s time to end the year of Democrat failure. It’s a time for a new future. So I’ll run for governor and make sure we love this beautiful state again.”
Hilton, who is planning an official campaign announcement event in Huntington Beach on Tuesday, faces sudden odds in the governor’s race. Californians last elected a statewide Republican candidate in 2006, and since then, the state’s residents have become more liberal. However, there is growing frustration about issues such as crime, inflation, and cost of living.
“Fortune supports boldness. It’s a tough battle for Republicans to win offices across the state, but if there’s no bold people like Steve come along, Republicans aren’t going to win.”
Davis first met Hilton when conservative leader David Cameron of England visited GOV at the time. The tent that bans Schwarzenegger’s cigars, held in 2008 at the State Capitol in Sacramento, became prime minister in cooperation with Cameron’s successful 2010 campaign.
Additionally, two candidates who moved to general elections in June 2026 regardless of the general election have a decent shot of Republicans securing one of the spots in the November polls.
That’s because Democrats can be destroyed by a large number of Democrats running. Lt. Colonel Eleni Kunarakis, Chief Tony Thurmond of the State Schools, Xavier Bekela, former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Director, Betty Yi, former state controller, former Senate member Katie Porter, and former Senate speaker Pro Tem Toni, Crubeck.
Additionally, former vice president Kamala Harris is considering a bid and is expected to make a decision by the end of the summer.
On the Republican side, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is the only prominent GOP candidate to announce he will run before. So if Democrat voter shards, Bianco or Hilton can win one of the top two spots despite the state’s deep blue leaning.
Hilton, 55, is the son of a Hungarian immigrant who fled his hometown during the 1956 revolution. He was born in England and after graduating from Oxford, Hilton worked in politics and advertising. He then founded “Good Business.” This is a consulting company that advises companies such as Nike and McDonald’s about ethical capitalism.
Hilton, known as “Partsvengali, Partspin Doctors and Some Strategists” by London Standard in 2006, was a senior adviser and close relative of Cameron, who served as British prime minister from 2010 to 2016.
Hilton was believed to modernize the UK’s conservative movement, staying true to free market ideals while still supporting liberal social policies, such as supporting gay rights and fighting climate change.
News coverage of Hilton’s era at 10 Downing St. portrays him as a charismatic yet eccentric figure, shaking the sturdy formal residence of the Prime Minister without wrinkled T-shirts, jeans or tracksuit pants, cycling gear and shoes.
He also drew the headline in 2006 by making around $450,000 a year. This is a salary that warped Cameron’s compensation, according to the observer. He broke with Cameron by supporting Brexit, a 2016 effort to get the UK to leave the European Union.
Hilton moved to California in 2012 with his wife, Rachel Wettstone. Rachel Wetstone worked as a public relations executive for Google, Uber, Facebook and Netflix. He became a US citizen in 2021. The couple lives in the wealthy Silicon Valley community in Atherton and have two children.
Since he moved to the US, Hilton has taught at Stanford University, hosting a Fox News Show called “The Next Revolution,” and co-founding Crowdpac, a nonpartisan political funding website. He and the company said goodbye in 2018 after sparking his totally exciting support for President Trump. Villaraigosa cut ties with the company when he failed a governor’s bid in 2018 for Kerfuffle.
Despite establishing himself as a populist in support of policy from both parties, Hilton’s support for Trump’s voice, including calling for a potential investigation into voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, and other controversial views, are almost certainly raised in the campaign.
However, Hilton’s Silicon Valley with billionaires such as venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt could benefit from his governor’s campaign.
In 2023, Hilton together founded Golden, a research group focusing on restoring California’s dreams. Among the group’s policy focuses is the state’s business environment, homelessness, crime, affordable housing, and wildfire management. Its advisory committee includes Lanhee Chen, former adviser to Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign. Gloria Romero, a former Democratic Senate leader who is now a Republican. Former San Diego mayors Kevin Fallconner and Davis.
“He’s someone who’s sincerely interested in addressing some of the challenges California faces,” said Chen, a Stanford lecturer who ran for state controller in 2022 and has been floating as a statewide or congressional candidate. Chen said he is weighing his options but is a supporter of Hilton because it focuses on policy and entity.
“He’s the man of the policy that’s at his core,” Chen said. “And there are many ideas to address these challenges.”
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