Steve Hilton Selects Former Democrat Gloria Romero as Lt. Governor Running Mate in Push to End One-Party Rule in California

In a strategic move designed to shatter the Democrats’ iron grip on California politics, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton has named former Democratic State Senate Majority Leader Gloria J. Romero as his preferred running mate for lieutenant governor ahead of the June 2, 2026 primary. Romero ended her campaign announcement with “Let’s Hold Sacramento accountable. #MakeCAGoldenAgain”

Hilton, the conservative commentator, author of Califailure, and vocal critic and watchdog of Sacramento’s failed policies, made the announcement highlighting Romero’s dramatic party switch in September 2024. After decades as a prominent Democrat, Romero walked away from the party she once led, citing its abandonment of working families, skyrocketing crime, education failures, and endless wasteful spending. She has repeatedly blasted the $24 billion poured into homelessness programs with little to show for it, the $32 billion lost to unemployment fraud, and the $18 billion funneled into the high-speed rail disaster that has yet to lay a single mile of track.

$250B wasted.

$18B for a bullet train with no tracks.

$24B for homelessness with no results.

$32B stolen in unemployment fraud.

16 years of one-party rule.

Higher costs. Failing schools. More poverty.

I walked away. Join me.

Let’s hold Sacramento accountable.… pic.twitter.com/X3dboJRC7m

— GloriaRomero (@GloriaJRomero) January 12, 2026

“This is California’s Golden Ticket,” Hilton declared, emphasizing how the ticket combines his outsider energy with Romero’s insider knowledge of Sacramento’s dysfunction. The partnership aims to appeal to moderate voters, disillusioned Democrats, and Latinos frustrated with one-party rule that has driven up costs, eroded public safety, and prioritized radical ideology over practical governance. No Republican has won a statewide office in California since 2006, but this alliance could finally provide a credible path to victory by exposing the rot at the heart of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Sacramento.

🚨 BREAKING: Proud to announce my running mate for Lt. Governor, @GloriaJRomero

Gloria was the State Senate leader. She WALKED away from the Democrat failure and corruption and joined the Republican Party.

This is California's Golden Ticket! Watch Gloria's announcement: https://t.co/NrSds4Tobx pic.twitter.com/5GJRsrLVp7

— steve hilton (@SteveHiltonx) January 12, 2026

Romero responded: “Honored to run–not walk–alongside you to Make California Golden Again.”

Honored to run–not walk–alongside you to Make California Golden Again. https://t.co/4ZQmHw6epX

— GloriaRomero (@GloriaJRomero) January 12, 2026

Romero’s defection represents a powerful rejection of the progressive status quo. As she explained during her switch announcement, the Democratic Party she once championed is unrecognizable—obsessed with identity politics, soft on crime, and hostile to school choice and parental rights.

In a 2021 California Globe exclusive, Romero penned a “Memo to My Party“–a must read to understand her defection from a party she once loved and led–stating, in part, “Wokeism is dead and the Great Awakening is upon us.”

Hilton’s campaign continues to surge, out-raising Democratic contenders and building momentum with a message focused on affordability, safety, and restoring the California Dream.

Notable supporters have rallied behind the golden ticket. Ambassador Ric Grenell previously teamed up with Romero on school choice ballot initiatives through efforts like “Fix California,”

At the time of her endorsement of Fix California’s Education Savings Accounts Act of 2022, she stated:

“As a proud Democrat who has dedicated my life to fighting against an entrenched education bureaucracy so that all California children can have all the opportunities afforded to our ruling class, I proudly join with Ric and Fix California to give parents control over their children’s destiny,” Romero said. “Parents matter; and when given not only the choice, but the resources, they will provide the best education opportunities for their children. However, it is clear that current legislative leaders cannot possibly reform our schools and our school boards are intimidated by controlling interests who care more about their bottom line than our children’s future. If through this proposal, public schools can rise to the challenge with a little more competition, then everyone will benefit. I hope that voters will put aside petty, partisan games and join us in providing a model for a world class educational system and sign the petition to get the Education Savings Accounts Act of 2022 on the ballot next year. We cannot waste anymore years waiting for Sacramento to act.”

The ticket’s emphasis on fiscal sanity, cracking down on waste, protecting women’s sports, and ending the homeless-industrial complex resonates deeply with voters exhausted by high taxes, unaffordable housing, and declining quality of life due to systemic fraud and Sacramento’s overspending.

As the primary nears, Hilton and Romero are positioning themselves as the change California needs to escape 16 years of Democrat mismanagement. With voter anger boiling over issues like crime, energy costs, and economic hardship, this “Golden Ticket” could mark the beginning of a long-overdue Republican resurgence in the once-Golden State.