California Governor Race: Steve Hilton Attacks Low-Profile Xavier Becerra
Democratic gubernatorial front-runner Xavier Becerra recently emerged from quasi hibernation and stepped into political daylight, shedding months of a muted presence that drew sharp attacks from Republican rival Steve Hilton. As ballots arrive in mailboxes ahead of the November 3 election, Becerra held get-out-the-vote events across the state, contrasting with Hilton’s months-long public barnstorming across California.
Hilton Slams Becerra for Avoiding Public Scrutiny
Hilton spent months jackrabbiting around California during his long-shot bid for governor, blasting Becerra for taking voters for granted and failing to hold public campaign events to explain his detailed plans. Despite pledging to participate in multiple debates, Becerra brushed aside several invitations, agreeing to just a solitary one-hour face-off against Hilton on CNN in late September.
In September, Hilton held 14 public events, a dozen more than the Democratic front-runner, though Becerra’s campaign countered that he appeared at multiple functions sponsored by other groups. Hilton rejected that explanation during a campaign stop in West Sacramento.
He is a useless nothing, a totally unaccomplished pipsqueak who is so smug, so arrogant, so entitled, that he somehow thinks he’s owed this job just because he was picked as a useful puppet by the Sacramento machine.
Uh, hello? That Steve Hilton doesn’t see me on Fox News is his problem, not mine. I am gonna talk to voters. I will talk to them until November the 3rd, and then I’ll be ready to talk to voters and taxpayers and the people of California when I’m the next governor.
The Campaign Trail Accelerates in October
Becerra’s late-stretch schedule picked up pace with a downtown Los Angeles news conference alongside Latino leaders and Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez to urge voter turnout. On Oct. 19, he held get-out-the-vote rallies in Santa Clarita and Glendale, following recent stops in Sacramento and Santa Rosa.
Earlier in the cycle, Becerra highlighted his housing agenda at an event in Long Beach, promoting Proposition 1 to fund affordable housing through $11.3 billion in state bonds. Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson defended Becerra against claims that he was coasting through the election.
Wake the F*CK up, California!These people need our help, and YOU are funding their addiction.As HHS secretary and California AG, Xavier Becerra was one of the architects of this radical "harm reduction" ideology. And as governor, he'll keep it going.It is NOT normal. It is… pic.twitter.com/87prYPmVGC
Strategic Calculation in a Deeply Blue State
Registered Democrats in California outnumber Republicans nearly two to one, shaping the strategic calculations of both campaigns. Veteran GOP consultant Tim Rosales noted that for a Democrat running in California, the operating theme is to do no harm, build an administration, and set a tone rather than risk unforced errors.
Fundraising reports filed with the state show Becerra raised $40.5 million, compared with $29 million for Hilton. Those totals exclude Becerra’s substantial advantage in independent expenditure spending during the primary.
Republican strategist warned that Becerra should still work to maximize his political capital as the clear leader of his party. Mason Harrison, a Republican strategist unaffiliated with Hilton’s campaign, compared Becerra’s low-visibility strategy to Joe Biden’s 2024 presidential campaign before he exited the race.
Becerra rejected the idea that he was taking voters for granted during an August campaign stop in Little Tokyo. If he were trying to coast, he told reporters, he would be staying on the coast rather than meeting directly with business and community leaders.