Republican Steve Hilton advances in tight California governor’s race

Steve Hilton at a campaign event in Norwalk, California, on 9 June. Photograph: Benjamin Hanson/AP View image in fullscreen Steve Hilton at a campaign event in Norwalk, California, on 9 June. Photograph: Benjamin Hanson/AP Republican Steve Hilton advances in tight California governor’s race Former UK political operative endorsed by Trump will face off against Democrat Xavier Becerra in November election Republican Steve Hilton, the former UK political operative turned Fox News personality, has advanced to the November general election in the race to become California ’s next governor, facing off against Democrat Xavier Becerra , a former congressman, state attorney general and US health secretary. Hilton’s success, a remarkable achievement for a recent immigrant, came after he was endorsed by Donald Trump . The Associated Press projected that Hilton would secure one of the top two spots in the nonpartisan primary election, which was held on 2 June Hilton was in second place behind Becerra, who unexpectedly but steadily consolidated support among Democratic voters. When the first votes were counted last week, Hilton initially led the field, prompting Trump to prematurely declare him the winner. By the next day, as Becerra won more of the votes counted late, Trump, without evidence, accused the state of election rigging. But as California counted millions more ballots sent by mail, Hilton was overtaken by Becerra on 5 June. Hilton still finished ahead of Tom Steyer , the billionaire hedge fund investor running as a progressive. How Xavier Becerra turned around his campaign to be California’s governor Read more For his part, Hilton acted as if he had won the primary from the morning after the election, when he stopped just short of declaring victory, but said: “Change is coming, and the campaign for change starts today.” The rise of the newly minted American, who left his native England for the San Francisco Bay Area in 2012 and became a US citizen in 2021, as a serious contender to be California’s governor has surprised former colleagues in the UK, where he was a prominent adviser to David Cameron, the Conservative prime minister at the time. Hilton, who was known as the “pint-sized Rasputin” of Conservative politics, was known for inventing catchy slogans that caused some to cringe. Credited with coming up with the “hug a hoodie” campaign for Cameron’s government, Hilton is now claiming that a vote for him will make California “Califordable” . As Cameron’s director of strategy, Hilton was known in political circles in London for his unorthodox working style. He would reportedly walk around the prime minister’s offices in socks, ordering civil servants to enact off-the-wall schemes that led to him being parodied in Armando Iannucci’s political satire The Thick of It , which set the template for the US TV series Veep. Steve Hilton: could this British former Fox News host be California’s next governor? Read more Hilton still faces an uphill struggle