By Jaz McKay

Steve Hilton, is a 55-year-old British-born Republican, running for California governor in the 2026 race to replace the termed-out Gavin Newsom. Hilton moved to California in 2012 with his wife, Rachel Whetstone, a tech PR executive who’s worked at Google, Uber, Facebook, and Netflix. They live in Atherton, in the Silicon Valley with their two kids. He became a U.S. citizen in 2021, making him eligible to run.

Steve Hilton’s background is a powerhouse mix: he graduated from Oxford, served as a senior adviser to former UK Prime Minister David Cameron from 2010 to 2012, and helped modernize the British Conservative Party with a sharp focus on free-market principles. He’s also a former Fox News host, leading The Next Revolution from 2017 to 2023, where he pushed populist ideas and gave props to Trump, though now he’s branding himself as a “positive populist.” Hilton co-founded Crowdpac, a nonpartisan political fundraising platform, taught at Stanford, and wrote Califailure: Reversing the Ruin of America’s Worst-Run State, a book tearing into California’s Democrat leadership for sky-high taxes, rampant homelessness, and crime—calling it the death of the “California Dream.”

Now, lets examine seven reasons why Steve Hilton is the best choice for California governor:

• He’s Not a Career Politician—He’s a Doer: Unlike the Sacramento swamp creatures who’ve been running California into the ground, Hilton’s a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who co-founded Crowdpac and advised a world leader. He’s not here for a lifelong political gig; he’s here to fix things and move on, which is exactly what this state needs after 15 years of Democratic one-party rule.
• He’ll Slash Regulations and Boost Business: Hilton gets that California’s 420,000 regulations are choking small businesses. He wants to cut red tape and lower taxes across the board—not just for Hollywood elites, but for everyone. While Dems keep passing 1,200 new bills a year to micromanage your life, Hilton’s plan will let businesses breathe and create jobs.
• He Prioritizes Public Safety Over Ideology: Hilton’s not afraid to say what we’re all thinking: laws need to be enforced. He’ll back law enforcement to tackle homelessness, open-air drug markets, shoplifting, and violent crime, something the left’s too busy coddling criminals to do. His stance on overturning laws that block mandatory treatment for mental health and addiction issues is a no-nonsense fix for the streets.
• He’s Got a Plan for Education That Puts Parents First: Hilton’s education platform is a breath of fresh air—grading schools and teachers, rewarding the good ones, and firing the bad ones. He’ll expand charter schools, introduce school choice, and protect parents’ rights in the system. The Dems’ obsession with woke curricula? Hilton’s tossing that out for real learning.
• He Understands Working People’s Struggles: As a guy who’s lived the California Dream since moving here in 2012, Hilton gets how hard it is for working families to afford housing, gas, and electricity—the highest in the nation, thanks to Democratic mismanagement. His “Golden Again” vision focuses on great jobs, homes, and kids, not ivory-tower nonsense.
• He’s Got Big-Name Backing Without Being a Sellout: Vivek Ramaswamy, a Trump ally running for Ohio governor, endorsed Hilton, calling him “American excellence.” Heavyweights like Rep. Kevin Kiley, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, and Charlie Kirk also support him. Yet Hilton’s not beholden to anyone—he’s running a “non-partisan” campaign focused on practical solutions, not party loyalty.
• He’s a Fresh Outsider with Global Experience: Hilton’s not just another Sacramento insider recycling the same failed ideas. Born to Hungarian immigrants who fled communism, he modernized Britain’s Conservative Party and now wants to do the same for California. While Kamala Harris looms as a potential opponent, obsessing over being the “first Black woman governor,” Hilton’s focused on results, not identity politics. He’s ready to take her on and win.

Hilton’s campaign is considered a long shot in deep-blue California, where no Republican has won statewide since Schwarzenegger in 2006, but his outsider status, practical policies, and Trump-era momentum, 10 counties flipped red in 2024, give him a Real Shot to shake things up. The establishment’s quaking, and they should be!