GOP’s Hilton Demands Bianco Exit California Governor Race
Former Fox News host Steve Hilton urged Republican rival Chad Bianco to exit California's governor race, warning that conservative vote-splitting could produce an all-Democrat runoff.
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A Republican candidate for California governor has issued an urgent public call for a GOP rival to abandon his campaign, warning that continued conservative division could result in an all-Democrat general election that would spell disaster for the state.
Steve Hilton, the former Fox News host now running for governor, directly appealed to fellow Republican Chad Bianco to withdraw from the race with only days remaining before Tuesday’s primary, according to New York Post.
Hilton framed the contest as a three-way fight for two slots on the November ballot under California’s top-two primary system, where the leading candidates regardless of party advance to the general election.
In a social media post, Hilton warned that without Republican consolidation, the state could face a runoff between Democrats Tom Steyer and Xavier Becerra.
That is a disaster for California, he stated.
The British-born political commentator described the potential outcome as a “Doomsday Scenario” and placed responsibility squarely on Bianco’s shoulders to prevent it.
He argued that critical conservative policy objectives, including voter identification requirements, would be dead on arrival if Republicans are shut out of the gubernatorial race entirely. Down-ballot GOP candidates would also suffer collateral damage, Hilton claimed.
The appeal follows a California Post poll released Friday showing an unexpectedly competitive race at the top. The survey, conducted between May 26 and 28, found Hilton and Steyer tied at 25 percent each.
Becerra, a former Biden administration official who had been considered a frontrunner, polled at 19 percent. Bianco registered 10 percent support, while Democrat Katie Porter drew 7 percent and Matt Mahan captured 6 percent.
The poll carried a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points with a 95 percent confidence level.
Hilton’s message to Bianco was blunt: the optimal time to exit was two weeks ago, but the next best opportunity is immediately.
With information from New York Post
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