Provocative, sexually suggestive ad by Hilton campaign condemned by political allies on the right
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- A sexually suggestive ad from Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton has drawn millions of views — and condemnation from allies on the right and Democrats.
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ad → condemn → right
The spot urges a woman to vote for Hilton, who says its provocative humor is meant to reach Californians open to change despite his party affiliation.
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humor → urge → affiliation
- The backlash comes as Hilton trails Democratic front-runner Xavier Becerra, while some conservatives who called the ad “grotesque” say they still support him.
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they → come → him
A provocative, sexually suggestive ad by GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is drawing heat from his fellow Republicans while drawing millions of viewers online.
Two young women sit on a bed, with an LGBTQ+ flag in the background, with one urging the other to try a new experience.
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one → draw → experience
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” one woman says, and the other replies.
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other → believe → this
It’s not that bad ...
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It → ’ → ?
Close your eyes, and I’ll do all the work.”
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I → close → work
She leads the hesitant woman’s hand to mark her ballot for Hilton rather than Democrat Xavier Becerra, the front-runner in the race, and says, “Now lick it,” referring to the mail ballot envelope.
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She → lead → envelope
Fellow Republicans as well as several Democrats denounced Hilton over the messaging.
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Republicans → denounce → messaging
Two members of Hilton’s GOP “Golden Ticket” on the Nov. 3 ballot lashed out about the ad’s content.
“I emphatically denounce the use of young women as a political tool,” Michael Gates, the Republican candidate for attorney general who has frequently appeared alongside Hilton at campaign events, wrote on X. “California families deserve better, and as AG, I will fight every day to protect our girls, young women, and parental rights.”
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I → lash → girls
Sonja Shaw, who is running to be the next state superintendent of schools, castigated Hilton, the state Republican party and its chairwoman for promoting the ad, which had been viewed by nearly 5 million people as of Saturday afternoon.
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which → run → afternoon
“Shame on you ... for reposting and cheering this creepy, weird, disturbing garbage,” Shaw wrote on X. “This is a clear example of exactly why good people are walking away from the Republican Party.
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people → shame → Party
As a mother and someone who has fought to protect the innocence of children, this crosses a line.
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this → fight → line
We have lost our way.
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We → lose → way
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), an openly gay member of Congress, and state Democratic Party chairman Rusty Hicks also condemned the ad.
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Garcia → condemn → ad
“This is a bizarre and desperate ad from a person who has attacked the LGBTQ+ community and stands with Donald Trump,” Garcia said.
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Garcia → attack → Trump
“Hilton is losing and more interested in AI slop than actually talking about issues Californians care about.”
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Californians → lose → issues
Hilton acknowledged the ad has provoked strong reactions, but it underscored the foundation of his campaign — that many Californians may be put off by his party affiliation but want change given the state’s myriad problems, such as growing unaffordability, that have taken place under a Democratic lock of every statewide office and the state Legislature.
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that → acknowledge → office
“We’re just saying, you know, just try it,” he said in an interview.
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he → say → interview
“It’s a provocative and humorous way of making a point, right?
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It → ’ → point
Which often the best communication does
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communication → do → Which
He also said the ad does not conflict with his beliefs about restrictions on gender-affirming care and on youth sports because those would only apply to people who are not adults.
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who → say → people
A spokesman for Becerra, who led Hilton 58% to 33% in a recent UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll, was gleeful about the rift the ad was creating among Republicans.
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ad → lead → Republicans
“MAGA is melting down over Steve Hilton’s creepy ad because they’re finally seeing him for the sellout he really is, willing to abandon his own twisted values to get ahead,” said Jonathan Underland.
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Underland → melt → values
As Californians prepare to elect a new governor in November, the top concern they want the new leader to prioritize is reducing the state’s entrenched high cost of living, according to a new poll.
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leader → prepare → poll
However, some conservatives who were dismayed by the message stood by Hilton’s side.
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who → dismay → side
Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, a Christian nationalist, called the ad “grotesque” and said it promoted lesbianism among young women, on a Facebook Live post Saturday.
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it → call → post
However, he said he still supports Hilton over Becerra.
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he → say → Becerra
He did not respond to requests for comment.
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He → respond → comment
Hilton is scheduled to speak on Monday to a chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, an LGBTQ group, at a brewery in Palm Desert.
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Hilton → schedule → Desert
The organization did not respond to requests for comment.
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organization → respond → comment
Former California GOP chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said that while the ad wasn’t for her, she understood the campaign’s desire to expand its reach to different voters.
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she → say → voters
“Does the ad speak to me?
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ad → speak → me
He’s not going after my vote.
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He → go → vote
He already has my vote.
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He → have → vote
He’s trying to think of new and creative ways to make people who wouldn’t normally feel like voting for a Republican feel safe to do so,” she said.
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she → try → Republican
“He’s going out of his comfort zone and going for people that wouldn’t normally feel comfortable voting for him.”
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that → go → him
Californian Fred Karger, who made history in 2012 as the first openly gay person to run for president, had mixed views about the ad, calling it shrewd yet hypocritical.
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who → make → it
And he questioned its effectiveness.
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he → question → effectiveness
“The audience that he’s targeting there — the hipster, young hipster, lesbian audience — probably has a 1% chance of voting for him,” Karger said.
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Karger → target → him
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
