LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Republican launched his general election campaign for Wednesday with a gambit to win over left-leaning voters who dominate the state: Even if they loathe President Donald Trump, he said, they should consider voting for him.
During an event in Los Angeles, against the backdrop of a stinking, scorched food warehouse he described as a symbol of the state’s political incompetence, Hilton rolled out a list of campaign promises clearly aimed at residents buckling under California’s notoriously high cost of living. He vowed to bring down to $3 a gallon, about half the current cost, cut residents鈥� utility bills in half, now among the nation’s highest, and eliminate on the first $150,000 in earnings.
He blamed the state’s problems 鈥� from to low student test scores 鈥� squarely on Democrats, who hold every statewide office and supermajorities in the Legislature. He called Democrats a 鈥渞otten regime that has abandoned the working class.鈥�
In his campaign remarks and ads he took out in leading newspapers throughout the state, Hilton addressed his relationship with Trump, who has in the race.
鈥淭his is not about who you hate in Washington. It鈥檚 about what we love about California and what we can do to make California once again the best place anywhere in the country to start and raise a family, to start and run a business,鈥� he said before a small group of supporters. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what this election is about.鈥�
Hilton鈥檚 maneuver is meant to create a sliver of distance from Trump without breaking from him. It’s a tacit nod to the political math in California, one of the nation鈥檚 most solidly Democratic states. Registered Republicans are by Democratic voters, and a GOP candidate hasn鈥檛 won a statewide election since 2006.
Trump is widely unpopular in California outside his loyal conservative base. In 2016, Trump lost to Democrat Hillary Clinton by 30 points; in 2020, he lost to Joe Biden by 29 points; and in 2024, he lost to Kamala Harris by 20 points.
California is regarded as the home of the so-called Trump resistance, where Democrats have effectively used Trump as a foil in campaigns to motivate voters. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom essentially nationalized the state’s fight over , which recast U.S. House districts to favor Democrats, by framing it as a confrontation with Trump. The measure notched a 29-point win.
The campaign of Hilton’s Democratic opponent, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary , scoffed at the notion of Hilton being a change agent.
鈥淐alifornians already know who Steve Hilton is: Trump鈥檚 puppet in California. His campaign is a promise to run our state the way Trump runs the country and we鈥檙e not buying it,” campaign spokesman Jonathan Underland said in a statement.
As for Hilton’s pitch that voters who dislike Trump should feel free to consider him in November, Underland said, 鈥淪teve Hilton cheers on a president whose illegal war has sent gas prices soaring and illegal tariffs have cost California families more than $2,500 this year alone. You can鈥檛 fix the affordability crisis while carrying water for the man causing it.鈥�
In a heavily Democratic state, Hilton’s campaign is hoping his appeal to Democrats and independents will 鈥済ive voters a permission slip鈥� to look past the letter next to a candidate鈥檚 name, even in a nation deeply divided by partisanship.
鈥淵ou do have a choice if you think that this state is going in the wrong direction,鈥� he told supporters at a kickoff event in Boyle Heights, a Los Angeles neighborhood where residents have been complaining about the stench of rotting food, flies and rodents that followed a fire last month at a cold storage warehouse.
He was accompanied by Gloria Romero, a former Democratic state lawmaker who switched parties in 2024 and is this year’s Republican nominee for lieutenant governor. She delivered her own address in both English and Spanish, with supporters holding 鈥淗ilton-Romero鈥� signs in the background.
, a former state lawmaker, congressman and state attorney general, is heavily favored to win the seat now held by Newsom, a likely 2028 Democratic presidential candidate who is barred by law from seeking a third term. Hilton and Becerra emerged from a chaotic primary election in June that had more than 50 candidates on the ballot.
The race is unfolding at a time when California is facing multiple crises. Despite billions in spending, homelessness remains widespread, especially in larger cities. Multibillion-dollar are projected into the future. Home prices remain out of reach for many residents. The home insurance market is in disarray, and residents have been , and residents contend with some of the nation鈥檚 highest gas prices, taxes and utility bills.
Making good on his campaign promises won’t be an easy task for Hilton, to ex-United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron who has never held elective office. The governor doesn’t control the oil or utility markets, but Hilton says he will get rid of mandates, taxes and fees that drive those prices higher. He also would likely need the consent of a Legislature controlled by Democrats to change the state’s income tax structure.
Hilton crowned his campaign kickoff with a 30-second TV ad underscoring the financial challenges for many families.
鈥淟ife here has become impossible for anyone who isn’t already rich,鈥� he says. 鈥淟et’s fix California.鈥�
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