Steve Hilton, the former Fox News host, has hinted at a potential bid for the governorship of California, a move that could see the first Republican governor in the state in over a decade.
Hilton, who also served as a political advisor, revealed his considerations during a recent interview with Mark Halperin, the host of "2Way Tonight."
As reported by Western Journal, Hilton indicated that his decision would be made soon, possibly even before the end of the summer. "The way I'm putting it right now is, Kamala Harris is telling us that she is too, almost using that exact same language, and that she'll make a decision by the end of the summer," Hilton said. "I'll make mine much sooner than that," he assured.
The last Republican governor in California was Arnold Schwarzenegger, who left office in early 2011. Since then, the state has seen Democratic leadership, with Jerry Brown serving two terms from 2011 to 2019, decades after his initial two terms from 1975 to 1983. The current governor, Gavin Newsom, has been in office since 2019 and managed to survive a recall election in 2021. However, he will be term-limited in the next cycle.
Despite the state's recent Democratic leanings, Hilton expressed optimism for the Republican party in California. He pointed out that the number of votes Donald Trump received in the state in the last election, over 6 million, was higher than what would be needed to win in 2026. "If you look at November last year, not even the share of the vote, the number of votes that Donald Trump got, over 6 million that number, if you project forward the turnout in a midterm election in California based on the past two midterms the number of votes that Trump got in California, without really campaigning in California, is higher than what you would need to win in 2026," Hilton suggested.
Hilton, originally from England, served as a strategy director for former British Prime Minister David Cameron. If he decides to run, he would not be the first Republican with a media background to pursue statewide office in recent years. Conservative radio host Larry Elder won a 48.4 percent plurality of votes among other candidates to replace Newsom during the 2021 recall contest, but some 61.9 percent of voters chose to keep Newsom in office.
In an opinion piece for Fox News, Hilton argued that a Republican win is necessary for the future of California. "President Donald Trump did better in California than any Republican presidential candidate for decades," he wrote. "Republican voter registration has also been increasing while Democrat registration has been falling."
Hilton criticized the current leadership, stating, "On Newsom's watch, California has gone from being America's crown jewel to its worst-run state. No fair-minded person could come to any other conclusion." He concluded his piece with a bold prediction: "So, there you are: this could well be Gavin Newsom's greatest legacy: flipping California red!"
As Hilton contemplates his political future, his potential candidacy could signal a shift in California's political landscape. Whether or not his prediction of a Republican resurgence in the state comes to fruition remains to be seen.
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