Steve Hilton is a candidate running a statewide campaign in California.
Posted by The Dan Bongino Show, Checked
- Sources
- 5 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 95%
The Dan Bongino ShowOct 16, 2026
Multiple independent reliable sources (AP, CBS San Francisco, NYT, KTLA, ABC30) show Steve Hilton was the Republican nominee for California governor running a statewide campaign as of October 2026, consistent with the claim as of 2026-10-16.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… Sorry we're about a minute late, but it's for a reason. You know, I, um, respect and value your time, folks. We had a, um, last minute interview I am really stoked to tell you about. You know, the state of California has been a mess for a really long time. They have, finally, a candidate running a really, really effective statewide campaign in Steve Hilton. Steve Hilton coming up in, will, I don't know, about forty-five, fifty minutes. Don't miss the interview. I know, if it's California, we always lose. I heard that about New York. I heard that about Maryland. I heard that about Illinois until they didn't. …
The Dan Bongino Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. AP reports Republican Steve Hilton launched his general election campaign for California governor and has advanced from the June primary to face Democrat Xavier Becerra.[1]
Supports. CBS San Francisco (Oct. 20, 2026) describes Hilton as gubernatorial candidate campaigning across the state, including stops in San Francisco and the Marin Headlands.[2]
Supports. KTLA reports that Hilton and Xavier Becerra are the two candidates in the race to replace Gavin Newsom, with Hilton having advanced to the run-off in June.[3]
Supports. Polling coverage from Reuters and others (Oct. 2026) reports Hilton as the Republican candidate trailing Becerra in the statewide governor's race, confirming an active statewide campaign.[4][5]
Context. The claimant's phrase 'really, really effective' is evaluative praise and is not checkable; sources instead describe the campaign as a long shot trailing by wide margins.[6][7]
Sources
7 sources: 1 fact-checker, 2 tier 2, 4 not rated
- 1Republican Hilton tells Californians they can hate Trump but still vote for him in governor's raceapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Steve Hilton says California is ready for change as Election Day approachescbsnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 3“We can get the CHANGE if we vote for it:” STEVE HILTON ... - KTLAktla.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4Becerra's advantage over Hilton grows in California governor racermb.reuters.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Hilton Makes Final Push Against California's Dem Machineyahoo.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Steve Hilton Tries Anything as a GOP Long Shot in Californianytimes.com · tier 2 · cited for: context
- 7Becerra plays it safe, Hilton keeps up blitz as governor's race hits final weeksanluisobispo.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Steve Hilton is the Republican nominee for governor of California.True
- Steve Hilton lost his congressional race in Maryland by one point.Can’t tell
- Steve Hilton has visited all 58 counties in California.True
- 2.3 million people voted for Steve Hilton in the primary election.True
- Steve Hilton received Donald Trump's endorsement for the primary election.True