Calif.'s GOP governor candidate Steve Hilton rakes in more donor cash than any Dem candidate

A Republican candidate in California’s gubernatorial race is dominating
the fundraising field, raking in more than $4 million in the past six
months alone. 

“We are leading this race and building a grassroots political
revolution,” wrote Steve Hilton, the 56-year-old GOP hopeful and former
Fox News contributor, on X on Monday. 

“We will keep fighting to kick out the failed, corrupt Democrat machine
and save California!” 

Hilton’s campaign has now raised $5.7 million in total, the most of any
candidate from any party, excluding self-funded Dem billionaire Tom
Steyer. 

Hilton’s fundraising is largely credited to more than 30,000 individual
donors, according to his campaign. 

He also loaned $100,000 his own campaign, Politico reported.

Hilton, a UK native who became a naturalized US citizen in 2021 and
describes himself as a political outsider, called his latest funding
haul “especially strong,” saying he finished well ahead of
“establishment machine politicians like Eric Swalwell and Katie Porter.” 

“This is truly a fantastic result and shows how much people are sick of
Newsom and 16 years of one-party Democrat rule,” Hilton told The Post,
referring to current lefty Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who can’t run
again because of term limits on the office. 

“We built this from scratch, in record time,’’ Hilton crowed of his
campaign. 

Hilton was leading among a scarce pack of GOP opponents in a poll last
month. 

The Democratic field is much more crowded and was being led by Hollywood
A-lister fave and current US Rep. Swalwell, followed by former Rep.
Porter and then Steyer and everyone from ex-Los Angeles Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa to former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier
Becerra, according to Civic Lens Research. 

Swalwell — whose Tinseltown fans include Sean Penn and Robert DeNiro —
received a $10,000 donation from Rob Reiner just six days before the
famed tragic Hollywood director was murdered along with his wife in
their mansion. 

The Reiners’ drug-addled son Nick allegedly killed his parents.

The donation to Swalwell was one of Rob’s final political acts as a
staunch Democrat. 

After the Reiners’ slayings, the candidate posted, “Politicians always
boast about how much they love this country. 

“Few people I know loved this country more, rooted for it harder than my
friends Rob and Michele Reiner. 

“Anyone who knew them will agree there are no two people who are going
to be missed more.” 

https://nypost.com/2026/01/13/us-news/calif-s-gop-governor-candidate-stev
e-hilton-rakes-in-more-donor-cash-than-any-dem-candidate/