Steve Hilton, a MAGA-aligned Republican and former British Conservative Party strategist, is running for California governor against Democratic favorite Xavier Becerra. After securing Donald Trump's endorsement in April — calling him "a truly fine man" who can turn the state around — Hilton has pivoted to distance himself from the president in the heavily Democratic state, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly two to one. His July campaign video opened with: "I get it, maybe you hate Trump, MAGA, whatever," and newspaper ads asked: "Can you be anti-Trump but still vote for me?"

Hilton frames California as suffering from "one-party rule" under 16 years of Democratic governance, citing the housing crisis and economic inequality. Gavin Newsom's successor race highlights the GOP's defining dilemma: whether the party's future lies with Trump's blessing or an untarnished alternative. Hilton, born in London to Hungarian refugees and naturalized in 2021, represents a potential third path. His background includes advising David Cameron and a satirical portrayal in Armando Iannucci's "The Thick of It." Now, he fuses tech-baron grievances with Trumpist bombast, attempting one of politics' toughest acrobatic acts: quarantining himself from an unpopular leader while kissing his ring.