OAN Staff Cory Hawkins
6:12 PM – Tuesday, January 13, 2026
British-American political commentator and one of California’s Republican gubernatorial candidates, Steve Hilton, has raised more than $4.1 million over the past six months, outpacing any other candidate in the race, including the Democrats.
“We are leading this race and building a grassroots political revolution,” Hilton wrote on X. “We will keep fighting to kick out the failed, corrupt Democratic machine and save California!”
The former Fox News host positioned himself as an outsider challenging Democrat dominance in the Golden State, focusing his campaign on corruption, affordability, and ending 16 years of failed “one-party rule.”
Since announcing his candidacy, Hilton’s campaign has raised $5.7 million in total, soaring ahead of every candidate with the exception of billionaire Tom Steyer, who is self-financing his campaign. So far, Steyer has contributed $20 million of his own money, while Hilton has loaned only $100,000 to his own campaign.
“This is truly a fantastic result and shows how much people are sick of Newsom and 16 years of one-party Democratic rule,” Hilton told The New York Post. “We built this from scratch, in record time.”
Hilton’s fundraising success is fueled by grassroots support, boasting over 30,000 individual donors. The majority of these contributions are small-dollar donations of $100 or less, hailing from 56 of California’s 58 counties. This widespread backing underscores significant political momentum, a particularly notable feat for a first-time candidate born outside the United States.
The runner-up in fundraising is Democrat Katie Porter (D-Calif.), who has raised approximately $3 million.
Hilton’s fundraising prowess is critical given California’s “jungle primary” system, where all candidates appear on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation, and only the top two vote-getters advance to the general election. By consolidating Republican support and attracting independent voters with his anti-corruption message, Hilton aims to secure a spot in the November runoff, likely against a well-funded Democrat like Steyer or Porter.
The General Election is on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Before entering the United States politics scene, Hilton served as a senior advisor to former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and wrote books criticizing California’s governance.
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