# Steve Hilton admits Trump unpopularity sank run for California governor, vows to keep fighting

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/steve-hilton-admits-trump-unpopularity-sank-run-for-california-governor-vows-to-keep-fighting/
- Published: 2026-11-05T20:16:28+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T20:21:54+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/05/us-news/steve-hilton-admits-donald-trumps-unpopularity-sank-run-for-california-governor/
- Topics: Elections, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Hilton says Trump’s unpopularity contributed to his defeat.
- Becerra won 64.4% of the reported vote.
- Hilton may run again and will keep pressing for cost relief.

## Summary

Steve Hilton has accepted that opposition to Donald Trump helped defeat his bid to become California governor, while saying he may run for office again. He lost decisively to Democrat Xavier Becerra, but says he plans to keep advocating for Californians facing high living costs.

With 5,268,634 votes, or 64.4%, Becerra extended Democrats’ 16-year hold on the governorship; Hilton received 2,917,832 votes, or 35.6%, with counting still under way. Hilton said national issues, including anger over an ICE Halloween video, overshadowed his campaign, but rejected claims that reported voting problems undermine the result. He intends to act as a “loyal opposition”, pressing for lower petrol prices, more affordable housing and better conditions for small businesses.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.