The lone Republican gubernatorial candidate on stage, Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, visiting professor at Stanford University, and business owner, emerged as the surprise winner of Tuesday’s 2026 California governor debate.
Despite being repeatedly booed by the audience, many viewers said Hilton had the strongest performance of the night. Hilton later credited his showing to being the only candidate on stage offering a fundamentally different approach to California governance, while the six Democrats, he argued, all sounded indistinguishable from one another.
Fifty-three percent of respondents to a Fox Local poll said Hilton won the debate, with a Democrat finishing a distant second at just 17 percent. The remaining votes were split among five other Democrats.
"Mr. Hilton, why should voters send you to Sacramento?" the lone Republican was asked on Tuesday.
"California needs an outsider to shake up a system that is obviously not working," Hilton began. "I love California, but after 16 years of one-party rule by these Democrats, we've got the highest poverty, the highest unemployment, the highest cost of living in America. It is time for some balance."
"I was raised in a working-class family. I worked construction, started businesses of my own. For the last three years, I've been traveling our state listening to Californians," he said. "I understand what needs to change. We need to end the Democrats' climate crusade so we can have $3 gas and cut your electric bills in half. We need to end the fraud and waste in government so we can cut taxes, your first hundred grand tax-free."
"We need to end the insane regulations that make it so expensive to own your own home. You're going to hear a lot of promises tonight, but remember, these are the people who got us into this mess," he added. "It is time for an outsider with positive, practical plans for change, not more of the same."
.@SteveHiltonx began tonight’s California gubernatorial debate with a strong opening statement:
— Loomer Unleashed (@LoomerUnleashed) February 4, 2026
“California needs an outsider… I love California, but after 16 years of one-party rule by these Democrats, we’ve got the highest poverty, highest unemployment, highest cost of living… pic.twitter.com/vBuciDlvVN
Hilton credited his performance to actually standing out, arguing that the Democrats all sounded like recycled versions of the same failed agenda that has plagued California governance for years.
“I won the debate because I told the truth about the total disaster of 16 years of Democrat one-party rule, the fraud, the waste, the corruption, and the cost of living that sky-high for regular working Californians,” Hilton said.
“What was interesting to me in the debate last night was all the Democrats sounded the same,” Hilton added. “They sounded the same as each other, and it all sounded the same as what we’ve got now.”
“We’ve had enough of it, and that’s why I’m encouraged by this debate by the fact that we are leading on fundraising with a huge number of small donors that we’re leading in many of the polls, and I expect that lead to grow," he said.
Hilton added that never having held political office was an advantage, saying it allows him to focus on what actually matters rather than scoring cheap political points. He argued that whether running a business or serving as a political adviser, his focus was always on delivering results, and that approach would carry over to the governor’s office.
“Unlike my Democratic friends here, I’ve never run for office before,” Hilton said. “All my life, I’ve had to focus on results: starting and running businesses, working inside government, fighting bureaucracy, trying to make change happen.”
“When I get to Sacramento, I will take a sledgehammer to our bloated, bureaucratic nanny state, and I will enjoy doing it,” he vowed during the debate.
Hilton is one of two Republican candidates running for California governor.