Former Fox News anchor announces his candidacy for governor of California: 'It's time to restore the California dream'

Steve Hilton announced his candidacy for governor of California. The British-born Republican was until recently an anchor on Fox News and has experience as an author and as a senior advisor to former UK Prime Minister David Cameron. In his campaign ad, he claimed that the Golden State is currently the poster child for what not to do.

Incumbent Gavin Newsom will not be able to seek a third term in 2026, opening up the election for the first time since 2018. While many heavyweight Democrats have already entered the race, only two Republicans have publicly announced their intentions to run. One is Riverside County Sheriff Coroner Chad Bianco, and the other is Hilton.

The 55-year-old Republican kicked off his campaign with a video posted on his X account. With images of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan in the background, he introduced himself to Californians as the freedom candidate capable of reversing the state's negative trend.

He later expressed himself in more detail on his campaign website, where he summed up the state's current statehood under Newsom: "The home of free spirits and rebels has become plagued by endless rules and regulations, bossing everyone around, telling people what to do and how to live. What car to drive. How to cook your food! Even telling parents how to raise their own kids. Instead of our magnificent landscapes, iconic industries and amazing weather, today we’re sadly famous for dystopian scenes of crime, chaos and squalor."

"We need to make California an inspiration again, not a warning of what not to do. We need to revive our spirit, our energy, our optimism, our dynamism. It’s time to restore the California Dream – especially for working people who’ve had it so tough these last few years," he continued.

Among his campaign promises were a tax cut for workers, less red tape for businesses, and a return to "sensible" government spending. This earned him the initial endorsement of Vivek Ramaswamy, now a gubernatorial candidate in Ohio.

"There’s only one way to do it. We need to end the one party rule that got us into this mess. That’s why I’m running for governor.. To make California golden again," Hilton said.