California gubernatorial hopeful Steve Hilton brushed aside concerns Tuesday that an endorsement from President Donald Trump could be a liability in the November elections, arguing instead that Republicans should unite behind the most viable candidate.
Hilton said he briefly spoke with Trump after the Sunday night endorsement to express his gratitude, describing it as a “great honor.”
“I think it’s a moment that we can actually step up what’s already been happening in the governor’s race, which is a consolidation on the Republican side,” Hilton said during a press conference in Sacramento. “I think it’s incredibly important that Californians have a choice at the general election in November because if you end up with two Democrats in this ridiculous top two system, which is a very real possibility, if we don’t consolidate on the Republican side, that is a disaster for our state. That means there is no chance for change.”
Hilton said he expects his lead in the race to grow.
“I was leading before the endorsement, I expect to be leading after the endorsement, with a growing level of support from within the Republican Party and way beyond,” he said. “[This is] about taking on a system that is obviously broken. Sixteen years of one-party rule and nothing’s changing.”
Trump opted to back the former Fox News host over Hilton’s chief GOP opponent, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
“Endorsing one of the Republicans in the race pretty much assures that that candidate goes up and the other starts to decline with Republican voters who follow Trump’s lead,” Garry South, a veteran California-based political expert, told the Washington Examiner. “We’ll see what the polls say, but Trump likely just ended Democratic angst about two Republicans ending up in the runoff.”
Democratic strategist Dave McLaughlin told the Washington Examiner that Hilton’s endorsement “obliterates any fantasy of Republicans taking the top two spots in the California jungle primary.”
Months of polling showed Hilton and Bianco locked in a tight contest, each hovering in the low double digits. As the only two serious GOP contenders, both had been benefiting from California’s jungle primary system. Under that system, all candidates, regardless of party, appear on the same ballot, with the two highest vote-getters advancing to the general election.
With Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) not seeking another term, a crowded field of Democrats quickly formed, including Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), former Rep. Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, and billionaire Tom Steyer, among others.
Support had been fragmented across multiple candidates with no clear Democratic front-runner emerging. That split, combined with Republicans consolidating behind two names, had opened the door to the possibility that both Hilton and Bianco would advance to the general election, effectively shutting Democrats out.
But by backing Hilton, the president has likely steered Republican voters decisively in one direction, undercutting Bianco and easing the path for a Democrat to make the runoff.
TRUMP’S STEVE HILTON ENDORSEMENT COULD BACKFIRE IN CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL RACE
A Democratic candidate in California has a much higher chance of winning the general election than a Republican.
Hilton’s campaign has centered on affordability. He has pushed his multipoint “Califordable” plan, which includes $3-a-gallon gas, plus a 50% cut in electricity and other energy costs, by changing state regulations and environmental rules. He is also proposing no state income taxes on Californians making $100,000 or less a year.