AND GOVERNOR HOPEFUL STEVE HILTON. I’M RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR TO MAKE CALIFORNIA GOLDEN AGAIN. STEVE HILTON STOPPED BY THE STATE CAPITOL FRIDAY.

THIS WEEK, THE BRITISH NATIVE, FORMER CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL ADVISER AND FOX NEWS HOST, LAUNCHED HIS CAMPAIGN FOR GOVERNOR. HE’S RUNNING AS A REPUBLICAN. SO I THINK IT’S NOT ACTUALLY ABOUT PARTY.

IT’S NOT RED OR BLUE. IT’S ABOUT WHO’S THE CHANGE CANDIDATE, WHO’S GOING TO BRING THE CHANGE THAT WE NEED, WHO’S GOING TO END 15 YEARS OF ONE PARTY RULE BY THE DEMOCRATS AND BRING A BIT OF BALANCE, A BIT OF COMMON SENSE. THAT’S WHAT IT’S ABOUT.

I THINK PEOPLE ARE DESPERATE FOR CHANGE, AND I WANT TO BE THE CANDIDATE THAT IS CLEARLY OUT THERE ARGUING FOR THE POSITIVE, PRACTICAL CHANGES WE NEED. AND IT’S REALLY NOT PARTIZAN. THE FOLKS AT YOUR RALLY, I DON’T THINK FOLKS WOULD SEE THEM AS NONPARTIZAN BETWEEN CHARLIE KIRK AND KEVIN KILEY, FOR EXAMPLE.

AND I KNOW YOU TOLD FOX 11 THAT YOU’D BE HONORED TO HAVE PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S ENDORSEMENT IF HE WERE TO GIVE IT. I KNOW THAT’S NOT NECESSARILY SOMETHING YOU’RE SEEKING. AS FAR AS I UNDERSTAND, BUT IN 2026, I MEAN, ARE YOU CONFIDENT THAT BEING A REPUBLICAN WOULD WOULD GARNER YOU ENOUGH OF THE ELECTORATE THAT RIGHT NOW, I MEAN, DEMOCRATS OUT REGISTER REPUBLICANS 2 TO 1 IN THIS STATE?

I MEAN, DO YOU DO YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT THOSE CHANCES? I FEEL GOOD ABOUT BEING THE PERSON WHO REPRESENTS CHANGE. AND 2026 IN CALIFORNIA IS GOING TO BE AN ELECTION ABOUT OUR FUTURE IN CALIFORNIA.

WHAT DIRECTION DO WE WANT TO GO IN? AND JUST TO EXPLORE THIS NONPARTISAN CAMPAIGN THAT YOU SAY YOU’RE RUNNING, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT SINCE YOU’VE LIVED HERE SINCE 2012, THAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS GOTTEN RIGHT HERE IN CALIFORNIA? IT’S SO INTERESTING.

ACTUALLY, I’VE BEEN ASKED THAT QUESTION. I FIND I NEED TO STUDY A LITTLE BIT HARDER TO THINK OF SOMETHING BECAUSE, LOOK, I DON’T WANT TO BE PARTIZAN FOR THE SAKE OF IT, BUT JUST LOOK AT THE FACTS. I MEAN, I JUST WROTE A BOOK CALLED CALIFORNIA.

THE SUBTITLE WAS REVERSING THE RUIN OF AMERICA’S WORST RUN STATE. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FACTS, IT’S VERY DIFFICULT TO COME TO ANY OTHER CONCLUSION. I MEAN, WE’VE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE NUMBERS, THE HIGHEST UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, THE HIGHEST POVERTY RATE, THE HIGHEST TAXES, THE WORST BUSINESS CLIMATE.

I MEAN, THESE ARE THE WORST IN ALL OF AMERICA, NOT EVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TABLE. AND WE COULD GO ON. HIGHEST GAS PRICES, HIGHEST COST OF ELECTRICITY, HOUSING, WATER, EVERYTHING IS JUST IN GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.

HILTON TOLD ME HIS MAIN CAMPAIGN PROMISE IS TO MAKE LIFE IN CALIFORNIA MORE AFFORDABLE. HE SAYS HE WOULD GIVE CALIFORNIANS MAKING LESS THAN $100,000 A YEAR, A TAX BREAK, NO LONGER REQUIRING THEM TO PAY STATE INCOME TAXES. HALF OF THE STATE’S BUDGET GOES TOWARD EDUCATION, AND THE GOVERNMENT IS A MAJOR EMPLOYER FOR PEOPLE ACROSS THE STATE.

SO THAT COULD MEAN LESS DOLLARS TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AS WELL AS LESS JOBS FOR FOLKS WHO HAVE THEM RIGHT NOW. I MEAN, HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND TO CRITICS WHO HAVE SOME SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT THAT? WELL, REMEMBER THAT 38% OF THE STATE BUDGET GOES TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHATEVER THE BUDGET IS.

THAT’S THE FIRST POINT. THE OTHER THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT IN THE LAST TEN YEARS IN CALIFORNIA, WE’VE DOUBLED THE STATE BUDGET, DOUBLED. IS EVERYTHING TWICE AS GOOD?

NO, IT’S ACTUALLY WORSE. SO THE IDEA THAT SPENDING MORE MONEY GETS YOU GOOD RESULTS IS NOT BORNE OUT BY THE FACTS AT THE STATE CAPITOL. ASHLEY ZAVALA KCRA THREE NEWS.

AND YOU CAN WATCH MORE OF THAT INTERVIEW ONLINE RIGHT NOW ON THE KCRA THREE APP OR KCRA.COM. AND IF YOU CAN SCAN THE QR CODE THERE ON YOUR SCREEN, YOU CAN USE THAT. AND WE HAVE A FULL LIST OF WHO IS RUNNING CURRENTLY FOR CALIFORNIA’S NEXT GOVERNOR.

AND Advertisement Republican Steve Hilton tells KCRA 3 his campaign for California governor is 'non-partisan' Share Copy Link Copy Steve Hilton stopped by the state Capitol on Friday, days after launching his campaign to be California's next governor.The British native, former conservative political adviser and former Fox News host is running in the crowded race to replace Gavin Newsom, who terms out in 2026. "I'm running for governor to make California golden again," Hilton said on the steps of the Capitol. "It's not red or blue.

It's about who's the change candidate, who's going to bring the change that we need," Hilton told KCRA 3 while standing feet away from his campaign's large, inflatable, rabid-looking union rat, which held a sign that read, "Democrat Industrial Complex. ""Who is going to end 15 years of one-party rule by the Democrats and bring a bit of balance, a bit of common sense? That's what it's about.

I think people are desperate for change, and I want to be the candidate that is clearly out there arguing for the positive, practical changes we need, and it's really not partisan," Hilton said in the interview. Hilton's campaign launch in Los Angeles earlier this week included several Republican politicians and personalities, including conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk, Rep. Kevin Kiley and former Republican Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Hilton also told FOX 11 in Los Angeles earlier this week he would be honored to have President Donald Trump's endorsement.

When asked if he's confident about his chances in the race as a Republican with that far-right support in a state where Democratic voters out register Republicans two to one, Hilton said, "I feel good about being the person who represents change. ""2026 in California is going to be an election about our future. What direction do we want to go in?"

Hilton said.Hilton acknowledged that if elected, he would need to work with California's Legislature which is dominated by Democrats. When asked if there are any Democrats in California's government whom he likes and sees himself working with, Hilton did not mention anyone at the state level. Without naming them, he said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan are moving their cities a direction that is "practical, not so ideological."

At the federal level, he mentioned Bay Area Congressman Ro Khanna. "I think he's someone who, we don't agree about everything, but we really do agree about one very important thing, which is working people have been really hit hard, over the last few years by all sorts of different policies and including here in California," Hilton said. See Steve Hilton's full interview with KCRA 3 in the video below.Hilton has lived in California since 2012 and currently lives in the Bay Area.

He could not name a single thing the Democratic Party has gotten right when asked by KCRA 3. "I find I'll need to study a little bit harder to think of something because, look, I don't want to be partisan for the sake of it, but just look at the facts," said Hilton, who wrote a book titled "Califailure." "The highest unemployment rate, the highest poverty rate, the highest taxes, the worst business climate.

These are the worst in all of America, not even in the middle of the table. And we could go on the highest gas prices, highest cost of electricity, housing, water, everything is just in the going in the wrong direction," he said. Hilton said his primary campaign promise is to make life in California more affordable, especially for those who are struggling most.

He said he would give Californians making less than $100,000 a year a tax break, no longer requiring them to pay state income taxes. When asked how he would respond to critics who note that a dent in state revenue would mean fewer dollars for public schools and layoffs in the state's workforce, Hilton said his plan would decrease the state's revenues by 18%, which he claimed would return the state's budget back to pre-pandemic levels. "In the last ten years in California, we've doubled the state budget, doubled everything.

Is it twice as good? No, it's actually worse. So, the idea that spending more money gets you good results is not borne out by the facts," Hilton said.

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