Ex-UK political aide Steve Hilton pledges 'common sense' overhaul if elected California governor

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Ex-UK political aide Steve Hilton pledges 'common sense' overhaul if elected California governor27 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleJude SheerinWashington DCGetty ImagesSteve Hilton, the former senior adviser to David Cameron, has told the his bid to be California's next governor is a campaign to "save" the state from what he describes as overbearing bureaucracy and economic decline. In his first UK interview since advancing this week to November's election, he said his candidacy was rooted in what he called the state's "rebel spirit". Hilton, who moved to California in 2012, told Radio 4's Today programme the state's tradition of innovation and economic dynamism had been undermined by 16 years of Democratic control.

He is running as a Republican in the overwhelmingly liberal state on what he calls a "common sense" platform rather than party ideology. Hilton has presented himself as a political outsider, casting his campaign as a push to restore affordability and opportunity in what he described as "the most incredible place in the world". Ultimately, Hilton said his campaign would hinge less on party identity and more on a broadly framed appeal to pragmatism.

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"It's not ideological," he said. "It is just common sense. ""The quickest way we can get more money into people's pockets is for government to take less out," Hilton said, setting out a platform focused on tax cuts, deregulation and reducing what he called "bloat and waste" in state government.

Listen: The Trump-endorsed Brit running for California governorHe pledged a tax-free threshold on the first $100,000 (£74,485) of income, sharply lower energy prices and measures to reduce housing costs. Biden cabinet secretary advances in California governor raceHilton had had an unusual political journey, from architect of the UK Conservative Party's "Big Society" agenda under former Prime Minister Cameron to an early supporter of Trump in 2015. Asked where he now sits on a spectrum between Cameron-era conservatism and Trump-era populism, Hilton rejected the framing, arguing that both were political movements that did not define him "personally".

Instead, he linked his positions to a broader critique of stagnating wages and inequality, citing decades of flat real earnings for most US workers as a driver of populist politics on both left and right. That economic argument underpins his message in California, where he blamed Democratic policies for high living costs and business departures, as well as homelessness and crime. "The record is a disaster," he said, citing what he described as the highest poverty rate, unemployment and cost of living in the US.

Here's why counting votes in California is taking so longTrump-backed candidate Steve Hilton advances in California governor's raceHilton dismissed comparisons with left-wing figures such as New York City's Mayor Zohran Mamdani, saying he paid little attention to that campaign.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.