LOS ANGELES — Republican Steve Hilton has been near the top of virtually every statewide poll since entering California’s crowded and unpredictable gubernatorial race a year ago. But he isn’t acting like a front-runner.“We can’t take anything for granted,” he told the Washington Examiner just hours before polls opened Tuesday morning. “We have to act like we are third; we have to fight like we were third. I tell my supporters, ‘Don’t let this slip away. Don’t take anything for granted.’ So we’re just going full out until the last possible moment to get every vote we can, because you never know in an election.”
California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton speaks during a campaign event on Sunday, May 31, 2026, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Benjamin Hanson)
Calling California’s marquee race rocky and unpredictable would be an understatement.
The first candidates launched their campaigns two years ago, but deep-pocketed donors largely stayed on the sidelines, waiting to see who else would enter the race. There was widespread speculation that former Vice President Kamala Harris would jump in — something she repeatedly teased — but she ultimately decided against it in July. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) also had strong name recognition, and many believed the Democratic Party would rally behind him, but he, too, passed. So, too, did billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso.
