Conservative commentator and ex-Fox News host Steve Hilton to run for California governor

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Conservative commentator Steve Hilton announced Tuesday that he's joining the 2026 race for California governor, running as a Republican to replace Democrat Gavin Newsom, who is prevented by law from seeking a third term.

Hilton, who hosted a show on Fox News for six years and worked as an adviser to former British prime minister David Cameron, faulted state Democrats during a formal campaign launch in Huntington Beach, southeast of Los Angeles, for the state's notoriously high taxes, soaring home prices and “the destruction of the California dream.”

He said he would welcome a candidacy by former Vice President Kamala Harris, a one-time California U.S. senator and attorney general who has not ruled out a run for the job.

He said the governor's job is not a “consolation prize to be handed out to a failed and rejected machine politician from Washington … who thinks she should get this job because of her identity, not her ability.”

Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother and would become the first Black woman elected governor in the U.S., if she runs and wins.

Hilton also blamed the vast scale of January's Southern California wildfires on “Democratic extremism and incompetence,” along with the party's “industrial complex” of activists, unions and bureaucrats.

The causes of the deadlyPalisades Fire and Eaton Fire remain under investigation. Both ignited Jan. 7 during powerful Santa Ana winds in a region that had been bone dry for eight months. The Palisades Fire, the largest of the blazes, destroyed more than 6,800 structures and killed at least 12 people. The Eaton Fire destroyed more than 9,000 structures and killed 18 people.

Hilton did not specifically detail what he was blaming on Democrats. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, later ousted the fire chief amid a public rift over preparations for a potential blaze and finger-pointing between the chief and City Hall over responsibility for the devastation. The water system used to fight the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles buckled under the demands of what turned out to be the most destructive fire in city history, with some hydrants running dry. Bass has faced criticism for being out of the country when the blaze started.

With the theme “Golden Again: Great Jobs, Great Homes, Great Kids,” his campaign said Hilton will be “reinforcing his commitment to positive, practical solutions instead of today’s ideology and dogma," according to a statement.

His campaign said Hilton's brand of “positive populism” would focus on helping working families.

Hilton joins a field crowded by prominent Democrats including former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, is the other Republican in the race. The race could be dramatically shaken up if Harris decides to run.

California operates a top-two primary system where all candidates compete on one ballot, regardless of party, and the two who receive the most votes go onto the general election in November.

Republicans have not won a statewide race in heavily Democratic California in nearly two decades. Arnold Schwarzenegger was the last Republican to be elected governor in 2006.

Author and former Fox News host Steve Hilton announced his run for California governor, as a Republican to replace Democrat Gavin Newsom, during an event in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

Author and former Fox News host Steve Hilton listens to video presentations as he announced his run for California governor, as a Republican to replace Democrat Gavin Newsom, during an event in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

Author and former Fox News host Steve Hilton announced his run for California governor, as a Republican to replace Democrat Gavin Newsom, during an event in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

Author and former Fox News host Steve Hilton announced his run for California governor, as a Republican to replace Democrat Gavin Newsom, during an event in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

Supporters cheer for Steve Hilton as he announced his run for California governor, as a Republican to replace Democrat Gavin Newsom, during an event in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

Author and former Fox News host Steve Hilton announced his run for California governor, as a Republican to replace Democrat Gavin Newsom, during an event in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

Author and former Fox News host Steve Hilton announced his run for California governor, as a Republican to replace Democrat Gavin Newsom, during an event in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

Steve Hilton speaks at the New Way California Summit at the Hollenbeck Youth Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, March 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Shelby Miller never developed into the ace the Arizona Diamondbacks envisioned following a blockbuster trade in December 2015.

Perhaps he can become the Diamondbacks' closer almost a decade later.

Miller earned his first save for Arizona on Thursday, working a perfect ninth inning to finish a 4-2 win over the New York Mets.

“It’s always good to get a win, however we can do it, however I contribute, whether we’re up one or 10,” Miller said. “I’ll pick up the ball whenever my name is called.”

Miller picked up the save hours after Arizona's bullpen was thrown into further disarray when Justin Martinez was placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Martinez and A.J. Puk, who was shifted to the 60-day IL as he recovers from a left elbow injury, combined for seven of the Diamondbacks’ first nine saves.

“It doesn’t mean he’s going to close every game,” manager Torey Lovullo said after Miller threw just eight pitches. “But he’s going to get some save opportunities for sure.”

Miller was one of the most promising young starters in baseball when the Diamondbacks acquired him from the Atlanta Braves on Dec. 9, 2015, for a package that included Dansby Swanson, the first overall pick in the 2015 draft.

But Miller, who had a 3.22 ERA for the Braves and St. Louis Cardinals in his first four big league seasons, went 3-12 with a 6.15 ERA in 20 starts in 2016 before undergoing Tommy John surgery after four starts in 2017 — Lovullo’s first year as manager.

“That makes the save a little bit better,” Miller said with a smile. “I couldn’t be more happy for him to get this W."

“The fact that we’re connected that way, it does mean a lot,” Lovullo said.

Miller played for three other teams and had moved to the bullpen by the time Swanson won the World Series with Atlanta in 2021. After pitching briefly for the San Francisco Giants in 2022 and recording a 1.71 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023, Miller appeared in a career-high 51 games for the Detroit Tigers last season.

The 34-year-old right-hander signed a non-roster deal with Arizona in February and is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 13 appearances this season. The save Thursday was the fourth of his career.

“It’s a story of perseverance. For me, it’s a story about a guy that just is never giving up,” Lovullo said. “He’s bounced around over the course of his career through a bunch of organizations, but he has never given up. And we’re getting those benefits now.”

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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Shelby Miller, left, throws to first base as New York Mets' Jeff McNeil beats the throw for a single during the eighth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, right, celebrates with pitcher Shelby Miller, left, after a baseball game against the New York Mets, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)