Former Fox News contributor Steve Hilton is reportedly looking to run for California gubernatorial run in 2026.
Three people familiar with the development told Politico that Hilton is considering a run as a Republican in the state.
Former California Republican Party chair and GOP leader of the state Senate Jim Brulte said Hilton is “thinking very seriously about running for governor and he is doing it in a very organized way.”
“I know he’s talking to a lot of the right people because I have heard from a lot of the right people that he’s talking to them,” he said, adding that Hilton is “focused on policy and my sense is his campaign would be a policy-driven agenda. He’s a positive and optimistic guy.”
Billionaire tech venture Chamath Palihapitiya told Politico that Hilton “cuts to the heart of issues no matter how uncomfortable the truth is,” describing him as an “extremely precise ‘first principles’ thinker,” a quality that could be “really refreshing at the right moment in California.”
Hilton served as a policy adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron from 2010 to 2012. He then moved to California and became a U.S. citizen in 2021.
A spokesperson for Hilton’s policy organization, Golden Together, confirmed to KCRA 3 that Hilton has been traveling across the state to support various causes.
“Steve continues to have these serious conversations with people across the state about ways he can help improve the quality of life for everyone in his home state, in line with the mission of his policy organization Golden Together, A Movement to Restore the California Dream,” the spokesperson said.
Golden Together’s vision describes its goal of building California’s future and culture to represent the American Dream.
“[E]veryone can see that things have gone off track. California is now as famous for dystopian scenes of public squalor as for our magnificent landscapes,” the organization’s website reads. “Upward mobility – the foundation of the California Dream – is under threat as it becomes increasingly difficult to get on the housing ladder, to afford the basics of the good life. Crime is up. The quality of life is down.” It adds, “We need to turn things around. Together.”
