Steve Hilton is inviting California voters to host him for dinner as the Republican gubernatorial hopeful takes his campaign into voters’ homes.
Hilton, a former Fox News host and British political adviser, launched the “Dinner with Steve” series as a way to connect with families across the notoriously expensive state. The campaign features videos of Hilton arriving at voters’ homes, helping prepare meals, and sitting down to discuss kitchen-table issues.
The first installment spotlighted Valen and Sandra Guerra, a couple from Chula Vista, a city near San Diego. In the clip, Hilton hands Valen a bottle that appears to be champagne, telling him, “That’s for you. That’s what we’re opening on election night.” Hilton pitches in as the family prepares dinner, saying he prefers these intimate gatherings to the town halls he has been holding across the state.
Once everyone sits down, the conversation turns to California’s punishing cost of living. “I remember someone telling me this, that the problem in California is that as soon as it gets a little tough, everybody moves out,” Valen tells Hilton. The Guerra family argues that Californians need to stay and fight for change, and they say Hilton is helping shift that narrative.
Sandra, who was born and raised in Chula Vista, describes watching her hometown decline. “I’ve seen the city go from its beauty, its economy, a surplus economy, to we’re in the red,” she said.
Hilton posted another installment of the series on X Tuesday, featuring a different California family. This family said they saw the invitation and filled out the form thinking it would be fun. “Where do you even start?” One family member asked. “Income taxes, state taxes, highest gasoline in the country.”
“And it’s really hard to make a living,” he added, saying that after 15 years, it was time to try something new.
Hilton emphasized on social media that the dinner offer is legitimate and that voters really can get one-on-one time with him. “It’s not a scam!” Hilton wrote. “I will actually come to your home, help you cook dinner and discuss the issues affecting your family.”
“Episode 3 of ‘Dinner With Steve’ drops soon. But if you want to host the next one, click the link in the replies,” he added.
The dinner series is part of Hilton’s broader focus on affordability, the dominant issue in his campaign. He has pledged to make the first $100,000 of income tax-free for many Californians, arguing that removing the income tax will put more money in people’s pockets. At a debate earlier this cycle, Hilton asserted he could reduce gas prices to $3 a gallon, a claim that drew a swift retort from San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who told him, “You’re lying to people.”
Hilton faces an uphill battle in the predominantly blue state. A Public Policy Institute of California poll released last week found Democrat Xavier Becerra leading Hilton 61% to 36%. Campaign finance reports show Becerra has raised more than $6 million since the June primary, while Hilton has raised around $812,000.
In the viral moment that established the dinner series, Hilton’s casual approach and explicit rejection of skepticism about the offer helped it gain traction online. The campaign has leaned into the format as a way to differentiate Hilton from traditional politicians and to generate shareable content that can travel beyond the voters he meets in person.
Hilton has embraced President Donald Trump’s endorsement, which political analysts say presents both opportunities and obstacles in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 2 to 1. “I get it: maybe you hate Trump, MAGA or whatever,” Hilton said in a recent television ad aimed at voters wary of the president. “I’m just trying to be very honest and clear with people and say, look, I’m not an ideologue. I’m a pragmatic problem solver with business experience.”
The Becerra campaign has seized on Hilton’s ties to Trump, with spokesman Jonathan Underland saying, “If you’re sick of high prices at the pump and the produce aisle, voters won’t find salvation in Donald Trump’s disciple.”
Hilton continues his statewide campaign with events planned across California in the coming weeks.