Steve Hilton

Candidate for Governor

Steve Hilton is the Republican candidate for Governor of California. The election is November 3, 2026. He was born August 25, 1969, in the United Kingdom. His parents were Hungarian refugees. He attended Christ's Hospital School on a scholarship. He studied philosophy, politics, and economics at Oxford. He rose as a strategist for Britain's Conservative Party. From 2010 to 2012 he was a top adviser to Prime Minister David Cameron. He moved to California in 2012. He became a U.S. citizen in 2021. He lives in Atherton, near San Francisco. He co-founded Crowdpac, a political crowdfunding site. Sources differ on the founding year (2013 or 2014). He was its CEO until 2018. He taught and lectured at Stanford, including the d.school, the Freeman Spogli Institute, and the Hoover Institution. From 2017 to 2023 he hosted "The Next Revolution" on Fox News. He wrote "More Human" (2015), "Positive Populism" (2018), and "Califailure" (2025). He founded Golden Together, a policy group focused on California. He announced his run on April 22, 2025, in Huntington Beach. President Donald Trump endorsed him in April 2026. In the June 2026 primary he finished second. He won 2,277,318 votes (24.6%). He faces Democrat Xavier Becerra (2,591,857 votes, 28.0%) in November. The seat is open; Governor Gavin Newsom is term-limited. He is married to Rachel Whetstone. They have two sons. Home: Atherton area. Occupation: author, commentator, and policy group founder; former Fox News host. No prior elected office found. His role for Cameron (2010-2012) was appointed staff, not elected office.

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