- Hilton features Harris in his campaign launch video
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By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR
Published: | Updated:
Former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton announced a run for governor where he talks up his 2012 move to the U.S. and his hopes to take on Kamala Harris.
Hilton, who was born in Britain and sports a California pin emblazoned with an American flag, bemoans the ‘madness, the masks, the lockdowns, the school closures.’
‘I lived the California dream. I raised my family here – made my life here. Became an American,’ he said, calling the day he got his U.S. citizenship after his 2012 move one of his proudest moments.
He hopes to regain an office that Republicans relinquished when Arnold Schwarzenegger left Sacramento in 2011. The Hollywood star came out sharply against Donald Trump during presidential election campaigns.
Republicans haven’t won statewide in the Golden State since 2006.
His launch video includes an image of Harris – a hint he thinks there is mileage in running against her. ‘It’s time to end the years of Democrat failure,’ he says, calling for a return to the state’s ‘Golden Age’ – something Trump says he will bring to the country.
Harris defeated Trump handily in her state, 59-38, but she is weighing a run for the governor’s office, hoping she can perform better on her home turf than she did stepping in when President Biden suddenly ended his run for reelection last year.
Former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton announced he
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is also seeking the GOP nomination.
Hilton’s resume isn’t the typical path to statewide office, although there are numerous Fox News commentators who have joined the Trump Administration.
He taught at Stanford University, worked for the conservative party in the UK, served as an advisor to PM David Cameron, and started a firm called Crowdpac.
‘Let’s make California the land of opportunity again — great jobs, great homes, great kids. Let’s make California an inspiration again, the very best of America,’ he said in the three-minute video, which flashes feel-good imagery with images of Margaret Thatcher.
The state’s ‘jungle primary’ in June sends the top two finishers to the general election, meaning the top Republican stands a chance to take on a Democrat who clears the field.
Trump retweeted some of Hilton’s commentary while raging about the 2020 electiton results.
‘For four years, they plotted and schemed to undermine and overturn the sacred right of American democracy. For four years, they smeared the duly elected president and his supporters,’ Hilton said in one Fox clip Trump blasted out to his millions of followers.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris is considering her own potential bid for governor
