JD Vance, Trump Back Steve Hilton Before California Primary
President Trump and Vice President Vance endorsed Republican Steve Hilton hours before California's primary polls closed as he battles for a top-two spot to advance against Democrats in November.
According to New York Post, Hilton is competing to finish in the top two positions needed to advance to the general election, where he would face off against Democrats Xavier Becerra, a former Health and Human Services chief, and billionaire Tom Steyer. Current polling indicates the three candidates are locked in a tight race while other contenders lag behind.
President Trump, who initially endorsed Hilton back in April, took to Truth Social early Tuesday morning to rally California voters behind the Republican candidate.
“Vote today for Steve Hilton for Governor,” Trump urged his supporters in the state.
The president suggested that California’s troubled relationship with his White House—currently strained under term-limited Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom—would undergo significant improvement under Hilton’s leadership, benefiting the state substantially.
Trump pledged that federal cooperation and funding would flow freely to California under a Hilton administration, stating he has confidence in Hilton but not in any of the other candidates. The president vowed to work with Hilton to restore California’s standing.
The Trump administration has repeatedly clashed with California over federal funding and resources. Most recently, $1.3 billion in federal Medicaid funding was frozen over fraud concerns involving the state’s hospice agencies.
When Trump first announced his support for Hilton in April, he described the candidate as a truly fine individual capable of reversing the state’s decline under Newsom, whom the president referred to by his nickname “Newscum.”
Vice President Vance also weighed in Tuesday morning at 8:13 a.m., posting his support for Hilton on X and encouraging voters to back him. Vance described California as a beautiful state that simply needs better political leadership, a clear reference to Democratic Party dominance in Sacramento.
Republicans have been shut out of statewide victories since 2006, when Arnold Schwarzenegger won reelection as governor. The state has remained under single-party Democratic control ever since.
As voting proceeded Tuesday, Hilton’s primary objective has been consolidating the Republican base as much as possible. Trump’s last-minute endorsement appeared designed to remind GOP voters to unite behind Hilton rather than split their support.
Hilton has recently focused his criticism on rival Republican candidate Chad Bianco, a county sheriff polling significantly lower in the race. Despite Hilton’s repeated appeals for Bianco to withdraw and consolidate Republican support, Bianco and his backers have refused to step aside.
Recent polling has raised the alarming possibility that both Steyer and Becerra could finish in the top two positions Tuesday night, which would completely lock Republicans out of the general election—a scenario Hilton has called disastrous for the state.
Hilton warned Saturday that Republicans face a critical moment and must unite immediately to ensure California voters have a genuine choice for change come November.
With information from New York Post
