{"id":4058,"date":"2026-07-23T17:42:40","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T17:42:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4058"},"modified":"2026-07-23T17:42:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T17:42:40","slug":"california-republicans-awkward-pitch-vote-for-me-even-if-you-hate-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4058","title":{"rendered":"California Republican\u2019s awkward pitch: vote for me even if you hate Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"
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During an event in Los Angeles, against the backdrop of a stinking, scorched food warehouse he described as a symbol of the state\u2019s political incompetence, Hilton rolled out a list of campaign promises clearly aimed at residents buckling under California\u2019s notoriously high cost of living. He vowed to bring\u00a0the price of gasoline\u00a0down to $3 a gallon, about half the current cost, cut residents\u2019 utility bills in half, now among the nation\u2019s highest, and eliminate\u00a0state income taxes\u00a0on the first $150,000 in earnings.<\/p>\n

Read more Justin Bieber\u2019s World Cup halftime song streams jumped 110%<\/a><\/p>\n

He blamed the state\u2019s problems \u2014 from\u00a0homelessness\u00a0to low student test scores \u2014 squarely on Democrats, who hold every statewide office and supermajorities in the Legislature. He called Democrats a \u201crotten regime that has abandoned the working class.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In his campaign remarks and ads he took out in leading newspapers throughout the state, Hilton addressed his relationship with Trump, who has\u00a0endorsed him\u00a0in the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not about who you hate in Washington. It\u2019s about what we love about California and what we can do to make California once again the best place anywhere in the country to start and raise a family, to start and run a business,\u201d he said before a small group of supporters. \u201cThat\u2019s what this election is about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hilton\u2019s maneuver is meant to create a sliver of distance from Trump without breaking from him. It\u2019s a tacit nod to the political math in California, one of the nation\u2019s most solidly Democratic states. Registered Republicans are\u00a0\u00a0by Democratic voters, and a GOP candidate hasn\u2019t won a statewide election since 2006.<\/p>\n

Trump is widely unpopular in California outside his loyal conservative base. In 2016, Trump lost to Democrat Hillary Clinton by 30 points; in 2020, he lost to Joe Biden by 29 points; and in 2024, he lost to Kamala Harris by 20 points.<\/p>\n

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California is regarded as the home of the so-called Trump resistance, where Democrats have effectively used Trump as a foil in campaigns to motivate voters. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom essentially nationalized the state\u2019s fight over\u00a0Proposition 50, which recast U.S. House districts to favor Democrats, by framing it as a confrontation with Trump. The measure notched a 29-point win.<\/p>\n

The campaign of Hilton\u2019s Democratic opponent, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary\u00a0Xavier Becerra, scoffed at the notion of Hilton being a change agent.<\/p>\n

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\u201cCalifornians already know who Steve Hilton is: Trump\u2019s puppet in California. His campaign is a promise to run our state the way Trump runs the country and we\u2019re not buying it,\u201d campaign spokesman Jonathan Underland said in a statement.<\/p>\n

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As for Hilton\u2019s pitch that voters who dislike Trump should feel free to consider him in November, Underland said, \u201cSteve Hilton cheers on a president whose illegal war has sent gas prices soaring and illegal tariffs have cost California families more than $2,500 this year alone. You can\u2019t fix the affordability crisis while carrying water for the man causing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more The Republican-controlled House just passed a stock trading bill \u2014\u00a0that exempts Trump\u2019s 3,600 Q1 trades<\/a><\/p>\n

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In a heavily Democratic state, Hilton\u2019s campaign is hoping his appeal to Democrats and independents will \u201cgive voters a permission slip\u201d to look past the letter next to a candidate\u2019s name, even in a nation deeply divided by partisanship.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do have a choice if you think that this state is going in the wrong direction,\u201d he told supporters at a kickoff event in Boyle Heights, a Los Angeles neighborhood where residents have been complaining about the stench of rotting food, flies and rodents that followed a fire last month at a cold storage warehouse.<\/p>\n

He was accompanied by Gloria Romero, a former Democratic state lawmaker who switched parties in 2024 and is this year\u2019s Republican nominee for lieutenant governor. She delivered her own address in both English and Spanish, with supporters holding \u201cHilton-Romero\u201d signs in the background.<\/p>\n

Becerra, a former state lawmaker, congressman and state attorney general, is heavily favored to win the seat now held by Newsom, a likely 2028 Democratic presidential candidate who is barred by law from seeking a third term. Hilton and Becerra emerged from a chaotic primary election in June that had more than 50 candidates on the ballot.<\/p>\n

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The race is unfolding at a time when California is facing multiple crises. Despite billions in spending, homelessness remains widespread, especially in larger cities. Multibillion-dollar\u00a0budget gaps\u00a0are projected into the future. Home prices remain out of reach for many residents. The home insurance market is in disarray,\u00a0businesses\u00a0and residents have been\u00a0fleeing the state, and residents contend with some of the nation\u2019s highest gas prices, taxes and utility bills.<\/p>\n

Making good on his campaign promises won\u2019t be an easy task for Hilton,\u00a0a former adviser\u00a0to ex-United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron who has never held elective office. The governor doesn\u2019t control the oil or utility markets, but Hilton says he will get rid of mandates, taxes and fees that drive those prices higher. He also would likely need the consent of a Legislature controlled by Democrats to change the state\u2019s income tax structure.<\/p>\n

Hilton crowned his campaign kickoff with a 30-second TV ad underscoring the financial challenges for many families.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife here has become impossible for anyone who isn\u2019t already rich,\u201d he says. \u201cLet\u2019s fix California.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Coinbase invests in tokenized version of Abu Dhabi\u2019s sovereign wealth fund<\/a><\/p>\n

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“Life here has become impossible for anyone who isn’t already rich,” says Steve Hilton, a former adviser\u00a0to David Cameron.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-elections"],"yoast_head":"\nCalifornia Republican\u2019s awkward pitch: vote for me even if you hate Trump - Cross Country Moving Team<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4058\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"California Republican\u2019s awkward pitch: vote for me even if you hate Trump - 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