The Political Scene | The New Yorker How a Trump-Endorsed Republican Could Become California’s Next Governor
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May 4, 2026 
Steve Hilton, a British-born political consultant and former Whitehall advisor turned media figure, is running for California governor. He discusses why he moved to California and his plan to tackle affordability and government waste. He explains his CalD0S waste-finding project and argues for decentralization and increased energy production. He also addresses his Trump endorsement and its impact in a blue state.
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Primary System Inflates Early Republican Leads
- California's open-top-two primary can let a single Republican lead when many Democrats split the vote.
- Steve Hilton's polling advantage partly reflects multiple Democratic candidates dividing the blue vote ahead of the June primary.
Why Hilton Left UK And Settled In California
- Steve Hilton moved to the Bay Area in 2012 for family reasons after working as a senior adviser in 10 Downing Street.
- He taught at Stanford, started businesses, then became a media figure before launching his gubernatorial campaign.
Campaign Frames One-Party Rule As Cause Of Decline
- Hilton argues 16 years of one-party Democratic rule produced poor outcomes like high cost of living and low opportunity rankings.
- He frames voter desperation for change as the engine of his campaign despite California's Democratic majority.