Steve Hilton Faces Backlash Over Provocative California Governor Campaign Ad
The ad has drawn millions of views and sparked criticism from Republicans who say it sexualizes young women and distracts from campaign issues.
- California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton released a suggestive campaign ad titled "Just Try It," featuring two women on a bed marking a mail-in ballot for him rather than Democrat Xavier Becerra.
- Facing a double-digit polling deficit against Becerra, Hilton is attempting to attract non-traditional voters who might otherwise avoid Republican messaging as the race enters its final month.
- Fellow Republicans, including attorney general candidate Michael Gates and state superintendent candidate Sonja Shaw, condemned the ad as "creepy, weird, disturbing garbage," while Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia called it "bizarre and desperate."
- Defending the video as "provocative and humorous" in an interview, Hilton faced mixed reactions from his own party, with former California GOP chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson acknowledging the campaign's intent to reach new voters.
- Prediction markets give Becerra a 96 percent chance of winning the November 3 election, as Hilton continues his campaign to become the first Republican governor in California in two decades.
25 Articles
25 Articles
The Bakersfield Californian
Republican Hilton’s ‘Just try it’ ad courts liberals — and angers his own base
The room is dim, the background music crooning, the vibe suggestive. Two young women (hair dyed, faces pierced) sit in front of a rainbow Pride flag, one of them cajoling the other to try something she’s never done before.
Republican gubernatorial candidate in California compares experimenting with your sexuality to voting for him
Steve Hilton has a really creepy and weird ad for Governor of California, and its probably not helping him. I guess first-time voting has changed a lot since I was a kid! The ad even has Republicans pissed off. Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, whom the Southern Poverty Law Center considers a Christian nationalist, said the ad promotes "lesbianism," which he called a "pandemic" among high school and college students during his Fac…
Republican running for governor in California uses experimenting "lesbians" to promote his campaign...and it kinda works
Watch Louder with Crowder every weekday at 11:00 AM Eastern, only on Rumble Premium!Check out our Election 2026 Dashboard to keep track ot the upcoming midterms!I get it. It's tough to have the bandwidth for blue state elections when the streets are saying we're struggling in safe red districts. Even when you have the Minnesota Senate and Oregon gubernatorial races within the margin of error, they both feel like trap games. So a California Repub…
Steve Hilton defends his California governor's race ad
By Tom Wait Candidate Steve Hilton’s ad for the California governor’s race, which featured two young women in front of a pride flag, drew some criticism from some of his Republican colleagues. After the ad went viral on social media, Republican candidate for state school superintendent Sonja Shaw called it creepy, weird garbage. “As a
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