California Gubernatorial Primary Election — Candidate Comparison
This page presents a side-by-side comparison of candidate priorities and promises in the California gubernatorial primary election.
Candidates:
- Steve Hilton (Republican) — Candidate in the California gubernatorial primary election
Candidate Priorities and Promises in the Primary Election
The table below compares the publicly stated priorities and promises of candidates competing in the primary election. Information is compiled from official campaign websites, public statements, and other verifiable sources to help voters understand where candidates stand on key issues.
About
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
Steve Hilton was born in London, the son of Hungarian immigrants who fled communism in search of freedom and opportunity. He came from a working-class background, made it to Oxford, and built a career in business and government. He served as a senior advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron before moving to California, where he taught at Stanford, built businesses, hosted The Next Revolution on Fox News, and launched Golden Together. Steve is not a career politician. Steve is not a career politician. He is an outsider who has spent years traveling California, listening to people, and learning firsthand how badly the insiders have failed this state. He's running for governor to cut costs, fix our schools, clean up the corruption and make California work again.
Achievements
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
Priority 1
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
$3.00 Gas. California gas prices are not high by accident. They are high because the insiders piled on special fuel rules, fees, taxes and anti-energy policies that hit working people every time they fill up. Steve will unwind those policies, support in-state energy production and get gas prices back down.
Priority 2
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
Cut Utility Bills in Half. Electric bills have exploded because the people running this state turned energy into an ideological project. Steve will go after the mandates, bad decisions and utility failures that drove prices up and made the grid less reliable.
Priority 3
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
First $150,000 Tax Free. California taxes working people too much and gives them too little in return. Steve will eliminate state income tax on the first $150,000 you earn so families can keep more of their own money.
Priority 4
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
Starter Homes for Young Families. Young families are locked out because California made it too hard and too expensive to build homes people can actually afford. Steve will cut the red tape and clear the way for more starter homes.
Priority 5
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
Every Student Reads by 3rd Grade. If a child cannot read by 3rd grade, everything gets harder after that. Steve will make sure schools focus on the basics and every student gets the support they need to read on time.
Priority 6
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
Skills Training in Every School. Schools should prepare students for real life, not just shuffle them along. Steve will push skills training and career pathways in every school so students can graduate ready for work, training or college.
Priority 7
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
Bust the $745 Billion Job-Killer Bloat. California's government has become a bloated machine that eats up money, slows everything down and makes it harder to build, hire and grow. Steve will take on that bloat and cut back the waste.
Priority 8
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
Abolish $800 Small Business Tax. California should not punish people for starting a business. Steve will abolish the annual $800 small business tax and make it easier for entrepreneurs to get going and stay afloat.
Priority 9
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
Trial lawyers have turned California’s little-known Private Attorney General Act (PAGA) into a corrupt, state-sponsored extortion machine under the guise of ‘enforcing state labor law.’ They file thousands of abusive lawsuits a year, often over minor technicalities. Small, family-owned and run businesses get hit hardest and settle just to stay afloat. This isn’t about protecting workers. It’s about enriching lawyers and imposing a hidden ‘stealth tax’ on business...
Priority 10
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
As governor, Steve Hilton will flip the model from reaction to prevention, making California the first place in the world where wildfire prevention is universal, modern, and proactive. Statewide Detection and Technology Deployment. Deploy modern detection and suppression technology statewide and reform procurement and regulatory rules so California can actually use and scale these tools quickly...
Promise 1
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
July 31, 2026: California ranks 50th out of 50 for opportunity; “When I'm governor, we'll go from DEAD LAST to FIRST on that list.”
Promise 2
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
July 30, 2026: “When I’m governor, we’re bringing back the starter home.” (Affordable housing / higher homeownership.)
Promise 3
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
July 29, 2026: Establish a Covid Accountability Commission and pursue accountability/punishment for Fauci, Becerra, and others involved in pandemic policies. (“when I'm governor. We will establish a Covid Accountability Commission...”)
Promise 4
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
July 28, 2026: Hold Xavier Becerra accountable regarding migrant children issues at Pomona Fairplex (“The corrupt machine won’t hold him accountable, so we will.”).
Promise 5
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
July 25, 2026: As governor, stop the release of sexually violent predators into communities (highlighted in San Diego County context).
Promise 6
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
July 24, 2026: Introduce “CALIFUTURE” education plan: every student reads by third grade (focus on basics); skills training in every school (especially with AI). Cap vehicle registration at $71 per year. First $150k of income tax-free.
Promise 7
Promise 8
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
July 19, 2026 (reply): First budget will cut spending back to pre-pandemic levels to fund tax plan (first $150k tax-free + 8% flat tax above).
Promise 9
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
July 18, 2026: End corruption, fraud, waste, and bureaucracy; “build a California for Californians.”
Promise 10
Score: / 22 Steve Hilton:
July 17, 2026: End California’s $800 small-business tax (part of making life easier for small businesses).
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