# Steve Hilton hits Dem governor’s 2028 pitch by calling out Newsom’s rail record

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/steve-hilton-hits-dem-governors-2028-pitch-by-calling-out-newsoms-rail-record/
- Published: 2026-10-25T23:13:35+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-26T00:11:03+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Far right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/media/steve-hilton-hits-dem-governors-2028-pitch-calling-out-newsoms-rail-record
- Topics: Geopolitics, Politics, World

## Key points

- Hilton used California’s rail project to challenge Beshear’s pitch for a Democratic governor.
- The full project estimate has risen from $33 billion to about $126 billion.
- The initial Merced-to-Bakersfield service is targeted for 2033.

## Summary

Republican Steve Hilton challenged Democratic Governor Andy Beshear’s case for a governor leading the party’s 2028 presidential ticket, pointing to California’s unfinished high-speed rail project during a television discussion. The exchange matters because Gavin Newsom, who has not announced a presidential campaign, was raised as a possible contender, and Hilton is using the project to criticise his record.

California voters approved nearly $10 billion in bonds for the rail project in 2008. An April estimate put the cost of the full system at about $126 billion, against an original estimate of $33 billion, and reported that no high-speed track had been laid. The rail authority’s 2026 plan estimates $35.7 billion to complete the Merced-to-Bakersfield section, with service targeted for 2033; about $15.7 billion had been spent through February. A state inspector general also identified travel expenses that appeared to breach regulations or contract terms.

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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.