Candidate · November 3, 2026

Steve Hilton

On the ballot for Governor · California

RepublicanOpen seat
issues with public statements
2

§1On the ballot

Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.

OfficeGovernor · California1
Party on the ballotRepublican1,2
StatusOpen seat — no incumbent is running for this seat.
How it's decidedUnder California's top-two system, only the two candidates who received the most votes in the June 2, 2026, primary, regardless of party preference, appear on this general-election ballot.1,3
Also on the ballot

§2Who they are

Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Steve Hilton was born in London to Hungarian immigrants and attended Oxford.4 He was a senior adviser to Prime Minister David Cameron, then moved to California, where he taught at Stanford, started businesses, hosted The Next Revolution on Fox News and launched Golden Together.4

Why they say they're running

His campaign website says he is running to cut costs, fix the state's schools, clean up corruption and make California work again.4

Websites and accounts

§3What they've said on the issues

Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.

Taxes and Budget

State income tax

His campaign website says he would eliminate state income tax on the first $150,000 people earn.5,6

  1. Add or raise taxes on the highest incomes (for example, a tax on income over $1 million)
  2. Keep current rates
  3. Cut rates or move to a single flat rate
  4. Phase out the state income tax
Marked: the option their statement matches.
State government spending

His campaign website says he would take on what it describes as a bloated state government that drives up costs and slows growth, and cut back waste.5,6

§4Money

Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left.

Candidates for governor file campaign-finance reports with the state, not the FEC, so this guide doesn't include their fundraising. Search the state's reports: Cal-Access campaign finance activity search — California Secretary of State.7