A familiar face on Fox News is reportedly mulling the idea of running for governor in the state of California.
Former “The Next Revolution” host Steve Hilton is “seriously considering” a bid to lead the Golden State, according to Politico. The 55-year-old British commentator and Fox News contributor served as an advisor to former British Prime Minister David Cameron from 2010 – 2012.
“While Hilton and his team did not comment when approached for this story, several prominent political figures in the state conveyed that the Silicon Valley entrepreneur, who has been increasing his public appearances and focus on California public policy, is already deep in discussions about a possible run as a Republican,” Politico reported.
Hilton, whose Fox News show ran from 2017 to 2023, became a U.S. citizen in 2021 and has been a California resident since 2012. His potential candidacy is already stoking interest in the deep blue state.
“He is thinking very seriously about running for governor and he is doing it in a very organized way,” said Jim Brulte, former chair of the California Republican Party.
“I know he’s talking to a lot of the right people because I have heard from a lot of the right people that he’s talking to them,” added the GOP leader of the state Senate.
“He is a no-BS person who cuts to the heart of issues no matter how uncomfortable the truth is,” billionaire tech venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya told the outlet, adding that Hilton is “an extremely precise ‘first principles’ thinker.”
“I think that that could be really refreshing at the right moment in California,” he said.
According to Politico:
People in close touch with Hilton say he’s hyper-focused on policy prescriptions to deal with the state’s biggest problems — including homelessness, the lack of affordable housing, the high cost of living, education and embracing the booming tech sector. Hilton has been a strong supporter of Trump and he recently appeared at a fundraiser for JD Vance, but in California, he’s leaned into his own brand of “positive populism,” often eschewing collared shirts in favor of canary-yellow henleys.
“He’s focused on policy and my sense is his campaign would be a policy-driven agenda,” Brulte said. “He’s a positive and optimistic guy.”
“The Democrats are all basically clones of each other. … It’s not like they are running a universally recognized name,” said Lanhee Chen, a Hoover Institution fellow.
“So, it will be interesting, and it could create some kind of political opportunity,” added Chen, a former GOP adviser and candidate for state controller. “Everyone knows the challenges, but no status quo lasts forever, so let’s see what happens.”
