Steve Hilton Vows “I’ll Be Back” After California Defeat, Refusing to Abandon the Fight
Steve Hilton lost the 2026 race for California governor by a wide margin, but he is not walking away. In a post-election interview, the Republican nominee made clear he intends to keep pushing for change in a state he says is no longer living up to its promise.
When asked what comes next, Hilton replied: “Well, I love California. I’m not going to do the accent, don’t worry, but in the words of a former Republican governor, the last Republican governor, I’ll be back, that’s for sure.”
He described the campaign as an education. “It’s been an absolute honor and a joy to travel this state, to learn about it, to meet so many people, all 58 counties. I’ve seen this state in a way that almost no one gets to see.”
Hilton framed the loss as the start of something larger. “It’s just the beginning for me of doing everything I can to make California what it should be: the best place anywhere to do anything. That’s what we’ve always been. People have, over a hundred years, come here to build and dream and invent and do amazing things. But now people are leaving California. That’s a sign that something’s not right.”
He acknowledged he would take time with family over the holidays, then return to the fight. “Certainly I will be back one way or another, and pretty soon, to start the work I think that we need to bring the change that California needs.”
The results showed Democrat Xavier Becerra winning roughly 64 percent to Hilton’s 36 percent, extending more than a decade of single-party control. Hilton has argued that the state’s high costs, homelessness, and out-migration are the direct result of that dominance. His closing message was simple: California still needs the change voters were promised, and he plans to stay in the arena.