Steve Hilton for California
In a state plagued by policy paralysis, spiralling costs and a crisis of political imagination, Steve Hilton’s announcement that he’s running for California governor feels like a jolt of electricity through a stagnant system.
Dismiss him as a long-shot if you like – but underestimate him at your peril.
Hilton isn’t your standard-issue Republican. He’s a policy maverick, a disruptor in jeans and a T-shirt, and someone who’s spent his career straddling the worlds of elite politics and real-world grit. He helped modernise the British Conservative Party under David Cameron, drove grassroots-focused reform before it was trendy and has spent the past decade immersed in the heart of Silicon Valley, where innovation is currency and results matter.
California has plenty of broken stuff to fix
And while his detractors point to his time at Fox News, they miss the point: Hilton’s appeal isn’t about shouting from the sidelines. It’s about fixing what’s broken – and in California, there’s plenty that is.
Under Gavin Newsom, California has drifted into dysfunction. A homelessness crisis that defies logic. A cost-of-living burden that chokes the middle class. Red tape wrapped around every good intention until nothing moves. Major employers – Tesla, Oracle, Chevron – have voted with their feet, packing up and heading to Texas. And still, the one-party rule marches on, deaf to criticism and allergic to change.
Hilton sees it – and he’s not afraid to say it. California, he argues, needs a reset. Not a culture war, not a technocratic tweak – but a full reboot of governance rooted in common sense, economic opportunity, and accountability.
Hilton has the credentials
He’s also one of the few with the CV to back up such ambition: a transatlantic strategist who understands both populist pulse and policy nuance. He’s not bound by the stale playbooks of either party, and that makes him dangerous – in the best possible way.
Arnie is the Republican precedent
Yes, the odds are steep. California hasn’t elected a Republican governor in nearly two decades. But Arnold Schwarzenegger was once a long shot too. And in a state where people are fed up with politicians who overpromise and underdeliver, a plain-speaking outsider with bold ideas might be exactly what voters are ready for.
Hilton isn’t running to be liked. He’s running to make California work again. And that might just be the kind of courage the state has been waiting for.
