Former Fox News host Hilton enters California governor race

Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, announced Monday he was entering the California gubernatorial race, looking to become Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) successor.

In a video announcement posted to the social platform X, Hilton highlighted his past, growing up in London and eventually moving to California and becoming a U.S. citizen. The businessman, author and former TV anchor criticized the Democratic leaders who have long held power in the western blue state and argued it was time for change.

“This is not just any other state. California means to America what America means to the world,” Hilton said. “Let’s make California the land of opportunity again. Great jobs, great homes, great kids.”

“There’s only one way to do that,” he later said. “We’ve got to end the one-party rule that got us into this mess. It’s time to end the years of Democrat failure.”

His video showed photos of Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and former Vice President Kamala Harris, who also served as California attorney general.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Hilton said he sees the election as a “life-or-death moment” to fix the Democratic rule in the state.

Hilton is the second prominent Republican to enter the 2026 gubernatorial race, following Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

With Newsom restricted due to term limits, the race is wide open for a stacked primary. Bianco and Hilton face a challenge, though, as California has not elected a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2006 reelection.

Many of the state’s Democrats say they would support Harris if she chose to run in the race after suffering a brutal presidential loss last year. The former vice president hasn’t thrown her name in yet, but Democrats could also support former Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), who announced her campaign in March. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra also launched a bid earlier this month.

Hilton, 55, said in his video that he was inspired to work with Margaret Thatcher, the former United Kingdom prime minister.

In 2012, he and his wife moved to California, while she worked for Google and he taught at Stanford University. Hilton hosted “The Next Revolution,” a weekly show on Fox News from 2017 to 2023, and he is the founder and former CEO of Crowdpac, a tech startup.

He's an avid supporter of President Trump’s and called for an investigation into the 2020 presidential election when Trump lost to former President Biden.

While Hilton and other Republicans face an uphill battle in the statewide race, his Silicon Valley ties may help if donors spend on his campaign, The New York Times reported.

“It’s time for a new future,” Hilton’s video concluded. “That’s why I’m running for governor to make this beautiful state that we love so much, truly golden again.”