Republican Hilton tells Californians they can hate Trump but still vote for him in governor’s race
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Republican Steve Hilton Started the general election campaign governor of california On Wednesday, he took a gamble to win over the left-leaning voters who dominate the state: Even if they hate President Donald Trump, they should consider voting for him, he said.
During an event in Los Angeles, against the backdrop of a stinking, burnt food warehouse that he described as a symbol of the state’s political incompetence, Hilton rolled out a list of campaign promises clearly aimed at residents suffering under California’s notoriously high cost of living. He promised to bring gasoline price By dropping it to $3 per gallon (about half the current cost), residents’ electric bills, currently among the highest in the nation, are being cut in half. state income taxes with first $150,000 in earnings.
He blamed the state for the problems homelessness to low student test scores – directly to Democrats, who hold every statewide office and a supermajority in the Legislature. He called the Democrats “a rotten regime that has abandoned the working class.”
Hilton touched on her relationship with Trump in her campaign speeches and in advertisements published in the state’s leading newspapers. approved it in the race.
“This isn’t about who you hate in Washington. This is about what we love about California and what we can do to make California, once again, the best place to start and raise a family and start and run a business anywhere in the country,” he said before a small group of supporters. “That’s the purpose of this election.”
Hilton’s maneuver is aimed at creating some distance without breaking away from Trump. That’s a veiled nod to the political math in California, one of the nation’s most solidly Democratic states. Registered Republicans were outnumbered almost 2 to 1 It was made by Democratic voters, and a GOP candidate hasn’t won a statewide election since 2006.
Trump is unpopular in California outside his staunch conservative base. In 2016, Trump lost to Democrat Hillary Clinton by 30 points; He lost to Joe Biden by 29 points in 2020; She lost to Kamala Harris in 2024 by 20 points.
California is considered the home of the so-called Trump resistance, where Democrats have effectively used Trump in campaigns to motivate voters. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom essentially nationalized the state’s fight on the issue. Recommendation 50who realigned the U.S. House districts in Democrats’ favor, framing it as a conflict with Trump. Measure had a 29 point victory.
Campaign of Hilton’s Democratic opponent, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier BecerraHe ridiculed the idea that Hilton was a change agent.
“Californians already know who Steve Hilton is: Trump’s puppet in California. His campaign promise to run our state the way Trump runs the country, and we’re not buying it,” campaign spokesman Jonathan Underland said in a statement. he said.
As for Hilton’s statement that voters who dislike Trump should consider him in November, Underland said: “Steve Hilton is applauding a president whose illegal war has caused gas prices to rise and whose illegal tariffs have cost California families more than $2,500 this year alone. You can’t solve an economic crisis while pandering to the man who caused it.”
In a predominantly Democratic state, Hilton’s campaign hopes its appeal to Democrats and independents will “give voters a license” to look beyond the letter next to the candidate’s name, even in a country deeply divided by partisanship.
“If you think this state is going in the wrong direction, you have a choice,” he told supporters at the launch event in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights; Residents complained about the smell of rotting food, flies and rodents following a fire at a cold storage facility last month.
He was accompanied by former Democratic state lawmaker Gloria Romero, who switched parties in 2024 and became the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor this year. He gave his own address in both English and Spanish, while supporters held “Hilton-Romero” signs in the background.
BecerraNewsom, a former state lawmaker, congressman and state attorney general who is currently barred by law from running for a third term and is likely to become the Democratic presidential nominee in 2028, is widely favored to win the seat he holds. Hilton and Becerra emerged from a chaotic primary in June that included more than 50 candidates.
The race unfolds at a time when California is facing multiple crises. Despite billions of dollars in spending, homelessness remains prevalent, especially in large cities. Billions of dollars budget gaps is projected into the future. House prices are out of reach for many residents. The home insurance market is in turmoil businesses and its inhabitants escape from the stateand residents struggle with some of the nation’s highest gas prices, taxes and electric bills.
Delivering on campaign promises won’t be an easy task for Hilton. a former advisor To former UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who never held elective office. The governor doesn’t control the oil or utility markets, but Hilton says he would get rid of the mandates, taxes and fees that raise those prices. He would also likely need approval from a Democrat-controlled Legislature to change the state’s income tax structure.
Hilton crowned the launch of its campaign with a 30-second TV spot that highlighted the financial difficulties many families are experiencing.
“Life here has become impossible for someone who is not already rich,” he says. “Let’s fix California.”
