Steve Hilton Announces Run For Governor

In an announcement on Monday, Steve Hilton, former Director of Strategy for then-British Prime Minister David Cameron and former Fox News host said that he would be running for Governor of California in 2026, becoming the second big-name Republican to enter the race.

“California means to America what America means to the world. Let’s make California the land of opportunity again — great jobs, great homes, great kids. Let’s make California an inspiration again, the very best of America,” Hilton said in a video announcement on Monday. “There’s only one way to do that. We’ve got to end the one-party rule that got us into this mess. It’s time to end the years of Democrat failure. It’s time for a new future. That’s why I’m running for governor, to make this beautiful state that we love so much truly golden again.

“This is not just any other state, California means to America what America means to the world. Let’s make California the land of opportunity again. I just want to ask people to imagine what California would be like after another 15 years of one-party rule by the Democrats, yet more stagnation and decline. If you look at the state of California today, it is just a disaster on every front.”

He also gave an announcement on X.

“It’s time to make California Golden Again,” added Hilton on the platform. “We need some balance here after 15 years of Democrat one-party rule. Positive, practical policies that actually help people, not ideological crusades. It’s why I am running for governor of California.”

Born in London to parents who escaped the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Hilton graduated from Oxford University in the early 90’s and immediately went into politics. He worked for the right-leaning Conservative Party in the UK at their central office throughout the 90’s. In the 2000’s, following major Conservative defeats, Hilton added in some environmental and progressive policies into the Party. This earned him becoming the Director of strategy for PM David Cameron from 2010 to 2012.

Following his stint as his Director, Hilton began focusing on politics in the U.S. as well, helping create the political fund raising and data tracking site Crowdpac, although he resigned in 2018 following the company halting all fundraising for GOP candidates. In addition to joining think tanks, Hilton also moved into the world of journalism, where he began writing for Fox News in 2016, favoring Donald Trump in the presidential election. Impressed, Fox gave him his own show the next year, The Next Revolution, which he hosted until June 2023, a proponent of “positive populism.” Since then, Hilton has increased his focus on California public policy, founding Golden Together, a bipartisan think tank, and said last year that he was thinking of running for Governor.

Last month, Hilton moved closer to a decision. Hilton’s political advisor Matt Shupe told the Globe that Hilton was still very much undecided.

“Shanahan’s dropping out allows opportunities for more candidates to jump into the race,” said Shupe to the Globe last month. “Steve is still looking at a run, and he plans to announce his intentions before Kamala Harris gives her announcement in the summer. Steve Hilton is a serious person. If he jumps in, he will have done so because he has investigated doing so for months and he will have calculated that he could win the election.”

This all led to Hilton entering the race on Monday.

Hilton joins a deep field of experienced candidates. This includes major Democrats including Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis, former Congresswoman Katie Porter,  State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, Senator Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), Former State Controller Betty Yee, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. On the GOP side, he is now running alongside Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. Hilton may also have to face stiff competition from former Vice President Kamala Harris, who is expected to make an announcement this summer.

Other candidates looking at possible runs currently include Developer and 2022 Los Angeles Mayoral candidate Rick Caruso, former State Senator and 2022 Gubernatorial candidate Brian Dahle, former Olympian and 2021 Gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner, Trump Special Presidential Envoy, former Director of National Intelligence and former Ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell, and Actor and Chairman of the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils (NFGFC) Jake Steinfeld.

Should Hilton win, he would be the first Republican and first Governor not born in the United States since Arnold Schwarzenegger, who served from 2003 to 2011. Hilton is to follow up his announcement on Monday with a rally in Huntington Beach on Tuesday.