Will California Elect a Republican Governor? Steve Hilton Thinks He Can Win

**Steve Hilton** (0:00)
I love California, completely love it. I'm in love with it still. I get really excited driving around as I do, and just seeing all these incredible things that we have. Everything, it's just amazing.

**Kara Swisher** (0:22)
Hi everyone from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. This is On with Kara Swisher and I'm Kara Swisher.
It's been two decades since California voters elected a Republican to lead the state. And while it's a long shot, former Fox News host and British American Steve Hilton believes he can defy California's deep blue politics and become the state's next governor. He's trying to appeal to voters' anger over the state's high cost of living and their desire for change. His personal story is also interesting. He was born in London to Hungarian refugees who fled communism, and his background in Silicon Valley and as an advisor to former British Prime Minister David Cameron could give him some separation from Magistyle Republican politics. But in a state like California, Hilton will have to win over a lot of Democrats to have any shot of winning in November. If there's one thing California voters hate more than paying close to $6 a gallon for gas, it might be President Donald Trump. I do think Hilton's long shot bid is worth paying attention to, even if his chances of winning are slim because he's actually a very interesting thinker. Well, I do not agree with him on a lot of stuff, and I thought he went sometimes off the rails on his Fox News show. He's also someone who's a lot more thoughtful, and he is the kind of Republican absent Donald Trump. If he didn't have to be so close to him, that might be interesting to a lot of voters. We've also reached out to Hilton's Democratic opponent, former Health and Human Services Secretary, Xavier Becerra. His team declined an interview at this time. I don't think that's a great idea for anyone running for governor. They should talk to reporters and give interviews and not be safe. Sorry. Sorry, Becerra, but you should have talked to me. So, let's get to my interview with Steve Hilton. Our expert question comes from Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bullwork, so stick around.
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**Kara Swisher** (3:48)
Steve, thank you for coming on On.

**Steve Hilton** (3:49)
Of course. Great to be with you.

**Kara Swisher** (3:51)
So we've known each other for a long time, correct? I guess we met through Rachel, your wife.

**Steve Hilton** (3:55)
Yes. Yeah.

**Kara Swisher** (3:56)
I will say, I'm going to pay you a compliment. You wanted to come and do an interview.
Mr. Becerra would not. So I appreciate that you're here.

**Steve Hilton** (4:03)
Well, it's great to be here. I mean, I just think it's important to have conversations just generally. And I know you're going to give me an incredibly easy time, Kara. So it was a no brainer to come and talk to you today.

**Kara Swisher** (4:17)
I thought so. I knew you could keep up. But let's start with the first question. California is one of the bluest states in the nation and hasn't elected a Republican for governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger's re-election in 2006