What to KnowDemocrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton will square off in the November election for California governor.Becerra is the former Health and Human Services secretary in the Biden administration. Hilton was born in the United Kingdom, where he worked as an aide to former Prime Minister David Cameron.
Republican candidate for governor of California Steve Hilton spoke Wednesday at a general election campaign kickoff event near the site of a cold food storage warehouse fire that plagued neighborhoods in Boyle Heights.
Hilton, who advanced from the June primary election to the November runoff against Democrat and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, was joined by supporters across a street from the sprawling burned out warehouse in the community east of downtown Los Angeles.
Hilton said the location represents what he called a “rotting regime” of Democrats elected to political office.
“Think about the people who live here, who had to put up with this,” Hilton said. “This is the symbol of Democrat failure.”
Residents in the area have faced poor air quality due to the smoke from the eight-day fire at Lineage Logistics. In the aftermath of the fire, the stench of rotting food filled the air as it was removed from the storage building.
Hilton will be a significant underdog is a state where Democrats outnumber registered Republicans nearly 2 to 1. California hasn’t elected a Republican to the governor’s office in 20 years.
Hilton was born in the United Kingdom, where he worked as an aide to former Prime Minister David Cameron. He became a U.S. citizen in 2021 and rallied enough Republican support to finish among the top two in a crowded primary field after an endorsement from President Trump in April.
Hilton said he would be honored to have Trump’s support in the general election, but that the two Republicans have not had any conversations on the topic.
“I’m a pragmatic problem solving change-maker,” Hilton said. “We may not agree about national politics, but I think we can agree we need change in California. So many people are desperate to see that.”
He is vying to succeed Gov. Gavin Newson, who is in his final term.
The event also served as a general election campaign kickoff for Republican candidate for lieutenant governor Gloria Romero. The former state Senator will face current State Treasurer Fiona Ma in the showdown for the office held by Eleni Kounalakis, who is running for California State Treasurer in November.