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California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton talks about his \u201cCalifordable\u201d Plan and the affordability crisis near the west steps of the Capitol on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.<\/p>\n
HECTOR AMEZCUA<\/p>\n
hamezcua@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
The California Chamber of Commerce bucked precedent when it endorsed a Democrat \u2014 Xavier Becerra \u2014 for governor last week.<\/p>\n
Becerra said he was \u201chonored\u201d by their backing and touted it in two press releases. But Republican rival Steve Hilton slammed the group for political opportunism. At the same time, progressive and labor groups that often find themselves at odds with the Chamber are avoiding jumping to conclusions, saying the move speaks more to the group\u2019s quest for relevance than Becerra\u2019s politics.<\/p>\n
Hilton took to the pages of The Wall Street Journal<\/a> Wednesday to slam the chamber\u2019s decision an op-ed, describing it as a sign of \u201cdangerous complacency\u201d from California\u2019s business community.<\/p>\n At a press conference outside the Capitol Thursday, he went farther, likening business groups backing of Becerra more broadly as a \u201ccorporate version of Stockholm syndrome.\u201d Business interests, including the chamber, Meta<\/a>, Chevron<\/a> and PG&E, collectively contributed more than $52 million toward electing Becerra and opposing Tom Steyer, his top Democratic rival in the final weeks of the primary.<\/p>\n The chamber knows \u201cthat we have to change direction\u201d but \u201cbelieve that they got to be in with a guy who they think is going to win, so they can get some scraps from the table through their lobbying,\u201d Hilton said.<\/p>\n Hilton acknowledged one facet of the endorsement: his own long odds at winning the governor\u2019s mansion. A UC Berkeley poll conducted before the June 2 primary found likely voters favored Becerra<\/a> by more than 20 percentage points in what was then a hypothetical general election matchup.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone assumes that this is now a foregone conclusion that Becerra is going to be the next governor … that\u2019s probably what you all think,\u201d Hilton told reporters. \u201cI want to be clear that that is not how it\u2019s going to be this year.\u201d<\/p>\n Chamber spokesperson John Myers said in a statement that the chamber\u2019s decision \u201creflects a nonpartisan, clear-eyed assessment of which candidate is most likely to succeed in working with the Legislature and other statewide officers on ways to strengthen California\u2019s economy.\u201d<\/p>\n Labor and progressive groups downplay Chamber endorsement<\/p>\n Many labor, environmental and progressive groups that have tangled with the chamber in the Legislature are so far reserving judgment on the group\u2019s might say about Becerra\u2019s platform, which has so far been light on specifics.<\/p>\n Teri Olle, vice president of The Economic Security California Action, which is warring with the chamber over a bill that aims to strengthen California\u2019s antitrust laws<\/a>, said an endorsement would not \u201cseal the deal on how a California governor behaves.\u201d<\/p>\n At the same time, she said that \u201canyone who wants to be governor of California should be taking a hard look at what\u2019s driving the affordability crisis in California.\u201d A situation, she argued, that was driven by anticompetitive conduct of firms the chamber represents.<\/p>\n The chamber has disputed that characterization, arguing the bill<\/a> will drive up costs for consumers.<\/p>\n Jamie Court, president of the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, said the chamber was \u201ctrying to get their hooks\u201d in Becerra, but said the Democrat is \u201ca blank slate as far as I\u2019m concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody wants to get next to him, including the chamber, but that doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s going to buy what they\u2019re selling,\u201d Court said.<\/p>\n California Labor Federation President Lorena Gonzalez said Becerra had a clear track record as a progressive Democrat.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this is more about the chamber knowing that they don\u2019t have a lot of options,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cBecerra is going to win and they don\u2019t want to be on the outs.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n
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