California GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton made his most direct plea yet on Wednesday to voters across the aisle in a new print ad revealed to the California Post.
The full-page advertisement, which will run in the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times, is headlined in all caps: “Can you be anti-Trump but still vote for me?”
Hilton also teased an upcoming television ad featuring the ex-Fox star holding a California flag as he battles the Democrat ‘machine’ which is set for release this week.
The ad by Hilton, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, presents a checklist to viewers asking if they have experienced any of the infamous cost-of-living issues plaguing the state, such as pricey utility bills, expensive gas, homelessness and high taxes.
If any of those issues are checked, the ad then suggests that Hilton is a choice for governor — even if he is endorsed by Trump, who is highly unpopular in California.
“Yes, I’m the Republican. The ‘Fox News’ guy,” the ad acknowledged, referring to Hilton’s former role as a political commentator at the conservative television network. “But this election is not about who you hate in Washington. It’s about what you love here.”
Hilton insists in the ad that he’s pragmatic and not an “ideologue.”
“You don’t have to like Trump. You don’t have to become a Republican. You just have to ask yourself: does it make sense to vote the same way and expect a different result?,” the ad read.
The new pitch to Democrats and anti-Trump voters reflect the stark reality that it’s extremely hard for a Republican to be elected to statewide office in a predominantly blue state. A recent poll showed Hilton trailing Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra by 25 percentage points.
“The challenge to Hilton is they can’t win without Democratic support,” longtime pollster John McLaughlin told The Post. He has “to have some rejection of the Democrat candidate to be able to win.”
McLaughlin said one of the few angles Hilton has is running on dissatisfaction with the status quo, which Hilton has been emphasizing throughout his campaign.
Underlying the ad are political calculations that Hilton has had to make throughout the campaign over how closely to align with Trump, political analysts have said.
A spokesperson for the Hilton campaign told The Post that “this is NOT Steve distancing himself from President Trump. In fact, Steve has consistently said he is proud to have the President’s endorsement and will continue to do so.”
Internal polling shows that three-quarters of persuadable voters who are dissatisfied with California’s direction didn’t vote for Trump, the spokesperson added, and the ad is simply targeting them.
“The campaign is focused on building a broad coalition of voters seeking change after 16 years of one-party rule,” the spokesperson said.
