California's GOP will not endorse Trump favorite Steve Hilton for governor

Source: The Independent

Sunday 12 April 2026 17:31 EDT


The Republican Party of California voted on Sunday not to issue an endorsement in the upcoming governor’s race as two GOP candidates duke it out for the top spot and seek to potentially claim a slot in the November election.

Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host and populist conservative, had won Donald Trump’s endorsement one week ago Sunday. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that Hilton would receive “federal help” in making the state of California “better than ever before,” a signal that he was promising the state a close alliance with the administration if Hilton won.

But even with Hilton outpacing his closest Republican rival in polling and securing the president’s support, he was unable to gather enough delegates to the state party convention on his side before Sunday’s vote. As a result, both Hilton and Sheriff Chad Bianco failed to win the party’s endorsement. It’s a blow that will hinder Hilton as he argues that Republicans should consolidate behind his campaign.

He’s leading every other challenger in most polling, but Bianco remains highly competitive and neither candidate is running away with the vote ahead of the June nonpartisan primary. Two candidates, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the general election. Though Trump’s endorsement was only issued a week ago, if Hilton fails to pull ahead in the weeks to come, it could well be a sign that Donald Trump’s ability to decide Republican Party primary races with his endorsement has been lessened, or lost entirely.

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/california-republicans-endorsement-trump-hilton-b2956219.html