All-In Podcast
Steve Hilton, a British-born Republican and former adviser to David Cameron, leads California’s governor race by targeting union dominance, high taxes, and regulatory barriers. He argues that entrenched interests—not ideology—are holding the state back, and proposes a sweeping tax overhaul to shake up the status quo.
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Steve Hilton is running for California governor with a blunt message: the state’s real crisis is a political cartel of unions and insiders, and he’s betting voters are ready to break it.
Steve Hilton, once a senior adviser to UK Prime Minister David Cameron, is now the Republican frontrunner for California governor. Drawing on his family’s escape from communist Hungary and his Thatcherite upbringing, Hilton sees California’s current woes—union dominance, high taxes, and regulatory sprawl—as a repeat of the UK’s 1970s stagnation. He proposes eliminating state income tax for those earning under $100,000 and instituting a flat 7. 5% rate above that, arguing this would help millions of working Californians squeezed by high costs. Hilton claims the state wastes $80 billion a year, pointing to misused climate and cannabis funds, and says spending cuts could restore the budget to pre-pandemic levels.
On housing, he details how union-backed lawsuits and climate mandates drive up costs, with $30,000 in fees per apartment compared to under $1,000 in Texas. Hilton insists most environmental lawsuits are union tactics for labor deals, and that Governor Newsom’s housing bills are giveaways to those same unions. Despite California’s Democratic dominance, Hilton argues a Republican governor could force change, citing bipartisan interest in tax relief and his own coalition-building experience. He believes the real obstacle is not ideology, but insiders protecting their turf—and that voters are ready for a shakeup.
Hilton’s campaign tests whether California’s blue-state dominance is inevitable or simply the result of entrenched interests. If his diagnosis is correct, it could signal an opening for reformers in states long considered unwinnable for Republicans.
Hilton’s worldview is shaped by his family’s escape from communist Hungary and Margaret Thatcher’s fight with British unions. He sees California’s problems—high taxes, union power, regulatory sprawl—as a repeat of the UK’s lost decades.
Hilton’s main policy: no state income tax under $100,000, and a flat 7. 5% above that. He says this would help over a third of California households and force the state to cut waste, not services.
Hilton blames California’s housing crisis on union-driven lawsuits, regulatory fees, and climate mandates that drive up costs and block new supply. He says most CEQA lawsuits are union tactics to secure labor deals, not genuine environmental concerns.
Despite California’s blue reputation, Hilton argues the right candidate can break through by focusing on practical issues and exposing the system’s self-dealing. He cites Pete Wilson and Schwarzenegger as proof it’s possible, and points to bipartisan support for tax relief.
Mrs. Thatcher’s for the workers and labor are for the layabouts.
Steve Hilton
If you make between 0 and $100,000 a year as a California resident under your plan, no state income tax.
Steve Hilton
It's 30,000 per door in fees to the government.
Steve Hilton
It's not farcical to think a Republican can't win here.
Steve Hilton