Republican Steve Hilton is running for governor of California in the Nov. 3 general election against Democrat Xavier Becerra. South Bay residents will see the race on their ballots.

Hilton advanced from the June 2 primary with approximately 25 percent of the vote, according to CapRadio/CalMatters. He launched his campaign on April 21, 2025, with an announcement event in Huntington Beach.

Candidate information

  • Party: Republican
  • Born: Aug. 25, 1969, in London, England
  • Education: Bachelor of arts in philosophy, politics and economics, New College, Oxford
  • Residence: Moved to California's Silicon Valley in 2012
  • Citizenship: Became a U.S. citizen in May 2021; renounced British citizenship in 2025
  • Running mate: Former Democratic State Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, announced as his lieutenant governor pick

Hilton's parents emigrated from Hungary to Britain during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, initially claiming asylum, according to Wikipedia.

Experience and public service

Hilton served as director of strategy for British Prime Minister David Cameron from 2010 to 2012. He hosted "The Next Revolution" on Fox News from 2017 to 2023.

In California, Hilton held academic positions at Stanford University as a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, a scholar at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and an instructor at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. He co-founded Crowdpac and co-founded Golden Together, a bipartisan research institute, in 2023.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Hilton's campaign website, his BallotReady questionnaire responses and an Axios interview published Oct. 6. All statements reflect the candidate's own claims unless otherwise noted.

Taxes and budget: Hilton proposes eliminating California state income tax on the first $150,000 of income, according to his campaign website. He proposed an 8 percent flat state income tax rate on income above $150,000 in his Oct. 6 Axios interview. Hilton said the state budget has increased 50 percent after inflation over the past decade and called for cutting it back.

Housing: Hilton said he would target what he called the main causes of the housing crisis: "hidden housing taxes, anti-housing regulations, and anti-housing lawsuits." He said only about 5 percent of California's land is developed and argued the state has space to build if bureaucratic obstacles are removed.

Energy and environment: Hilton proposes expanding oil production and refinery capacity in California to reduce gas prices, according to an ABC7 interview. That includes directing the state's geologic energy management agency to issue permits to the energy industry. He said California imports nearly 80 percent of the oil it uses despite having reserves.

Criminal justice: Hilton said he would ensure law enforcement is "fully supported in enforcing the law" on issues including homelessness, drug markets, shoplifting and violent crime.

Regulation and economy: Hilton proposes sunsetting the state's regulatory code so that regulations expire unless explicitly renewed. He cited Idaho as a model, claiming that state reduced regulation by 95 percent using a similar approach.

Endorsements

President Donald Trump and Vivek Ramaswamy endorsed Hilton, according to Wikipedia. U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock endorsed him. So did U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley, according to State Affairs Pro. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the Bay Area GOP and the California Congress of Republicans also endorsed him, according to BallotReady.

Candidate positions were drawn from the candidate's campaign website, BallotReady questionnaire responses and published interviews. South Bay Tide did not interview the candidate for this profile.