Steve Hilton Aims to Reform California’s Election System Amid Delayed Results
The primary election results for California’s gubernatorial race and the Los Angeles mayoralty are still pending, as officials continue counting mail-in ballots. Reports indicate that former U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner from Maine is facing new allegations from former partners, who claim the allegations are politically motivated. Representative Ro Khanna defended Platner despite other Democrats cautioning him against it.
On Saturday, Steve Hilton, a Republican running for governor, released a new campaign ad targeting Xavier Becerra, a former official in the Biden administration. It seems like the general election may already be taking shape, even as the counting of primary votes is still underway.
This brief ad, lasting 55 seconds, takes a jab at Becerra’s lengthy political career. It presents the Democratic Party as emblematic of California’s existing political issues.
The ad features an old-school TV showing a silent clip of Becerra, with captions like “I’ve been a politician for 36 years. Vote for me” rotating across the screen.
Additional captions allude to key issues expected to be central in the gubernatorial race, such as homelessness and California’s high-speed rail initiative, as well as Becerra’s tenure as Secretary of Health and Human Services under Biden.
The ad links Becerra to Governor Gavin Newsom and concludes with the message, “We won’t change a thing about how California is governed,” followed by “Watch no more reruns.”
As of Saturday afternoon, about 68% of the ballots had been counted. According to an AP tally, Becerra was leading with 26.8% of the vote, followed closely by Hilton at 26.4% and Democrat Tom Steyer at 21.1%.
After the AP projection, Becerra celebrated the results, framing his campaign as a battle for the voters of California.
Becerra expressed, “The people of our great state of California, the greatest country on earth, spoke loud and proud. We will not be bought. We will not be bullied. And we will never back down. November is here.”
His campaign also highlighted that he would become the first Latino candidate to progress from the California gubernatorial primary to the general election, marking a historic moment for the state. Should he win in November, he would be California’s first Latino governor since Romualdo Pacheco, who served briefly in 1875.
Hilton, previously a host on Fox News, has positioned himself as a political outsider seeking to effect change, claiming that Democratic leadership is steering California in the wrong direction.
It’s worth noting that the results of the primary elections have yet to be officially certified.
