Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, is projected to advance to the general election in the race for California governor, the Associated Press projects.
That means Hilton is set to join Xavier Becerra, a Democrat and former Biden administration Cabinet official, in the fall’s runoff election for who will lead California.
“What an incredible honor to be chosen by Californians to lead the movement for change in the greatest state in the greatest nation on earth,” Hilton said in a statement. “There’s nowhere better than California.”
“My mission is clear,” he said, “ to go to Sacramento, clean up corruption, cut your costs, help your business and fix our schools.”
“In the weeks ahead, we will lay out my plan in detail to make our state ‘Califordable’ — particularly for workers and small businesses,” Hilton said, referring to his campaign catchphrase related to affordability.
That means progressive billionaire Tom Steyer, who had been trailing Becerra and Hilton in third place, won’t move forward in the election.
The latest, unofficial vote tally showed Hilton leading Steyer by just over 200,000 votes. Becerra was ahead of Hilton by nearly 216,000.
Earlier Tuesday, Becerra — who the AP projected would advance in first place on Friday — said he was looking forward to seeing who he’d be up against in the fall.
“Anxious to see the end result,” Becerra told a group of reporters about the primary election. “Thankful that it looks like a good number of Californians decided to cast ballots in this primary.”
Hilton had also projected confidence earlier Tuesday that he would advance to the November runoff — though he told reporters he wouldn’t declare victory until after the AP called the race.
“We’re not popping the champagne yet,” he said, just hours before the AP declared that he had survived the primary election.
Hilton, who was endorsed by Trump, billed himself throughout the campaign as a needed change for California, constantly railing against the Democratic leadership that has led the state for several years.
The 56-year-old got his start in politics in the United Kingdom. Born in England to immigrant parents from Hungary — his father had found success as a professional hockey goalie before the couple fled during the 1956 revolution — Hilton started working with the Conservative Central Office in 1990.
He would eventually become a close adviser to David Cameron and was credited with softening the prime minister’s appearance. The two have since fallen out, disagreeing over Brexit (the term referring to the U.K. leaving the European Union) and other policy positions.
An Atheron resident, Hilton had been leading a policy and research group, Golden Together. He cofounded a since-shuttered London restaurant, The Good Cook, and became a U.S. citizen in 2021.
Historically, Republicans seeking statewide office in California have faced an uphill battle.
California is a deep-blue state, with Democrats enjoying a 20-point voter registration advantage over Republicans. The last time Californians elected a Republican to the post of governor was 20 years ago, when then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was re-elected.
But Hilton said he had a track record from his days in the UK government of working with people across the political spectrum and believed that, if elected, he could be successful in working with a Democratic-led state legislature.
“If it is the case that we have a legislature that’s dominated by Democrats, I’m very comfortable that we’ll find ways to work together,” he told reporters earlier Tuesday. “That’s how I’ve always been. I’m open. I want to work with anyone who wants positive outcomes. I have a track record of that.”
Hilton came out of the gate Tuesday evening swinging at Becerra.
“We will draw a powerful contrast with Xavier Becerra, who represents more of the same cost, incompetence and corruption,” Hilton said.
There was a moment — particularly as the race was so unsettled leading up to Election Day — when it looked like Hilton and fellow Republican, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, could lock Democrats out of the general election. It was a jungle primary — where the top two vote-getters, no matter political party, advance to the general, and the volume of Democratic contenders and lack of a clear frontrunner had Democrats worried none of their candidates would gain enough traction to advance.
Closer to the election, there were concerns that Republicans could, in fact, be shut out of the runoff, and Hilton renewed his earlier calls for Bianco to belatedly drop out of the race.
Bianco did not heed those calls. But during a May debate, Bianco said he would back Hilton if the sheriff was no longer in the running.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.