CA-GOV: Trump endorses Steve Hilton in California governor's race

[RandySF]

Donald Trump endorsed former Fox News host Steve Hilton in the California governor’s race early Monday morning, dealing a potentially fatal blow to GOP rival Chad Bianco’s campaign — and to Republicans’ hopes of locking Democrats out of the runoff.

“I have known and respected Steve Hilton, who is running for Governor of California, for many years. He is a truly fine man, one who has watched as this once great State has gone to Hell,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, before bemoaning the state’s leadership under Gov. Gavin Newsom. “Steve can turn it around, before it is too late, and, as President, I will help him to do so!”

Trump’s intervention comes despite some California Republicans arguing that the party’s best, if narrow, shot at the governor’s mansion depended on him staying out of the contest in this heavily Democratic state. Republicans had been hoping that a large field of Democrats would split the vote in California’s jungle primary, allowing two Republicans to advance. But with Trump boosting Hilton, it becomes more unlikely that he and Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff, will be able to evenly split the GOP vote and keep Democrats out of the run-off.

The endorsement may also spare Democrats from having to spend heavily to boost one of the Republican candidates themselves — a strategy they have employed in several races in the past.



https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/06/trump-endorses-steve-hilton-in-california-governors-race-00859470?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=dlvr.it

[Celerity]

1. Great news! Stupid AF Trumpy strikes again.

[Zambero]

2. Dems need to strategically thin out their large herd of candidates

so that two far-right Republicans in a smaller GOP field don't float to te top for a general election matchup. it's certainly a plausible sceanrio, but also preventable, provided applied election strategy overrides an excess of personal ambition. Swalwell, Porter, and Steyer in particular need to gauge their relative standing with voters and make informed decisions as to whether staying in the race is in the best interest of assuring a Democratic victory come November.

[leftstreet]

3. Isn't his endorsement a kiss of death?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. Trump just handed California Dems an overnight gift with surprise endorsement: report

There are a large number of Democrats running for Governor in California who have split the vote. There are two republicans running and right now these two republicans have been the top two vote getters in several polls. There is a risk due to the jungle primary that the two republicans could be the top two vote getters and would be the only candidates on the November ballot. trump's endorsement has pissed off the California republican party

Donald Trump has done the one thing California Republicans begged him not to do — and in doing so, may have handed the governor's race to Democrats, Politico is reporting.

— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2026-04-06T13:50:44Z

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-california-endorsement

Donald Trump has done the one thing California Republicans begged him not to do — and in doing so, may have handed the governor's race to Democrats, Politico is reporting.

Late Sunday night, Trump endorsed Fox News personality Steve Hilton for California governor on Truth Social, potentially delivering a fatal blow to GOP rival Chad Bianco's campaign and demolishing Republican hopes of keeping Democrats out of the runoff.....

The endorsement represents a stunning act of political self-sabotage. California Republicans had explicitly argued that their narrow path to the governor's mansion depended on Trump staying completely out of the race.

The strategy was simple: in California's "jungle primary," a large Democratic field would split the vote, potentially allowing two Republicans — Hilton and Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff — to evenly divide GOP support and advance to the runoff while locking out Democrats.

Trump's endorsement destroys that calculus entirely. By boosting Hilton, he makes it far less likely that both Republicans can split the vote evenly and keep Democrats out of the general election.

The political damage extends beyond the primary dynamics. Political data expert Rob Pyers of California Target Book explained the cascading consequences: "Trump's endorsement of Steve Hilton likely frees up tens of millions of dollars for Democratic groups who would have otherwise had to spend heavily to elevate one of the two leading GOP gubernatorial candidates to avoid a Democratic lockout."

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. "How Trump's Endorsement in California Could Backfire Against Republicans"

Both of the two republicans in this jungle primary were on track to be the only two candidates on the ballot in November because there are so many good Democrats competing for the Democratic vote. trump's endorsement is going to hurt the chances of the GOP winning this race

“How Trump’s Endorsement in California Could Backfire Against Republicans” electionlawblog.org?p=155295

— Rick Hasen (@rickhasen.bsky.social) 2026-04-07T14:56:32.223Z

https://electionlawblog.org/?p=155295

NYT:

For months, California Democrats have worried about a doomsday scenario of two Republicans shutting them out of the governor’s race. President Trump, in one social media post, may have solved their problem.

By endorsing Steve Hilton in California’s June primary, Mr. Trump likely drove Republican voters toward one candidate and reduced the likelihood that their party will take both spots in the general election. That would help Democrats ensure they advance a candidate under the state’s nonpartisan primary system.

The race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, who cannot run again because of term limits, has been unusually messy this year. The large field includes eight prominent Democrats and two well-known Republicans.

Mr. Hilton has been running neck and neck with fellow Republican Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, and the Democratic vote has been so fractured that no clear front-runner has emerged. Despite California being a deep blue state, several polls showed the two Republicans as the top two candidates, a scenario that had increasingly panicked Democrats…