Steve Hilton said there is “no question” that anger at President Trump helped sink his campaign for California governor along with Republicans across the country — but the former Fox News host isn’t done fighting.
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host → say → country
Hilton said he would consider another run for office after losing to Democrat Xavier Becerra, promising to keep pushing for relief from California’s high costs.
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he → say → costs
Becerra had 5,268,634 votes (64.4%) to Hilton’s 2,917,832 votes (35.6%), according to results reported Thursday morning.
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Becerra → have → results
Ballots were still being counted following a decisive victory that extended Democrats’ 16-year hold on the governor’s office.
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that → count → office
“I’m in this for the long term, whether that is as a candidate, whether that is a leader, a policymaker, maybe all of those things,” Hilton said.
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Hilton → ’m → things
Asked specifically about another gubernatorial campaign, Hilton said: “I certainly wouldn’t rule it out.”
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I → ask → it
The Republican entrepreneur and former adviser to UK Prime Minister David Cameron described his first campaign as something of a prototype.
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entrepreneur → describe → prototype
Hilton acknowledged the difficulty of breaking through a campaign dominated by national politics, recounting a conversation with a man whose Mexican immigrant family and friends were preoccupied with an ICE Halloween video before the election.
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family → acknowledge → election
“That ICE Halloween video, I’ve got to tell you, is one of the most disgusting and dehumanizing things I’ve ever seen put out by any government anywhere,” Hilton said.
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Hilton → get → government
He nevertheless rejected suggestions that reports of voting problems cast doubt on his defeat.
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reports → reject → defeat
“I don’t think there’s any reason to question the outcome based on stories like that,” he said.
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he → think → that
If Democrats deliver, Hilton said, he would support them.
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he → deliver → them
But he expressed little confidence that they would change course.
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they → express → course
“I have very little expectation that they’re going to bring gas prices down, improve the business climate, make housing more affordable,” he said.
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he → have → climate
“Because they’ve had 16 years to do it, and it’s gone in the opposite direction.”
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it → have → direction
Hilton said he had not spoken with Becerra since the election but would be willing to share ideas.
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he → say → ideas
“I’m not sure he’s the chatty kind,” Hilton said.
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Hilton → ’m → ?
“I don’t think I’m going to be his first port of call.”
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I → think → call
The campaign’s most affecting postelection review, he said, came over beers with teammates when a bartender quietly gave them a free round.
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bartender → say → round
“We really could have used you up there,” he recalled her saying.
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her → use → you
Hilton said the encounter captured the desperation he heard from working Californians throughout the campaign.
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he → say → campaign
“I really hope that our new governor, the new Legislature, understands that,” he said.
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he → hope → that
“That’s the number one thing I’ve learned in the last year and a half, and it breaks my heart to say it: Californians are at breaking point, and we’ve got to do something about that.”
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we → ’ → that
For now, Hilton plans to take a few weeks off, spend time with friends and family and enjoy the holidays before deciding what comes next.
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what → plan → holidays
“You can’t give up,” Hilton said.
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Hilton → give → ?
“You can’t give up on the state.
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You → give → state
You can’t give up on all those people who are desperate for change.”
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who → give → change
In closing, Hilton borrowed a line from Arnold Schwarzenegger, California’s last Republican governor.
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Hilton → borrow → Schwarzenegger
“In the words of a former Republican governor — I’m not going to try and do the accent — but I definitely will be back,” Hilton said.
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Hilton → go → accent
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