Steve Hilton has debuted a provocative new campaign ad featuring two young women in a sexually suggestive encounter.
The California Republican gubernatorial candidate, who debated Democrat Xavier Becerra on Wednesday, rolled out the spot Thursday across television and digital platforms as part of a six-figure buy targeting Gen Z and millennial voters. The 30-second piece, titled “Just Try It, California,” relies entirely on AI-generated imagery and a twist ending to make its political pitch.
The scene opens on two young women seated on a bed beneath a Pride flag. One wears a shirt emblazoned with “RESIST.” Their dialogue implies an intimate encounter is about to begin, with one character expressing hesitation.
“What if my dad finds out?” she asks.
“Just try it,” the other responds. “Look, give me your hand. Close your eyes, and I’ll do all the work.”
The camera then drops to reveal the women bubbling in “Steve Hilton” on a California election ballot. The formerly hesitant character delivers the punchline: “I think I like it.” The spot closes on the slogan “Just try it.”
Hilton, who has spent months pitching himself to independents and Democrats in the heavily blue state, framed the ad as a permission slip for voters outside his party. “People do not need permission from a party to want a state they can afford,” he said in a Thursday statement. “Gas, utilities, housing, schools. Sixteen years of the same government, and it keeps getting harder to live here. Just try something that actually brings costs down.”
He continued: “You do not have to become a Republican to want a different result. You do not have to like me. You just have to look at the last 16 years and ask if you are willing to try it.”
The candidate has previously run ads directly addressing voters who dislike President Donald Trump, who endorsed Hilton despite that friction.
Reaction splintered quickly across social media. Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, no stranger to viral campaign advertising himself, enthusiastically endorsed the approach. “OK now this is a brilliant ad. OMFG,” he wrote on X.
Other observers raised strategic doubts. “This ad isn’t poorly executed, but no joke this might turn off more Republicans from voting for Hilton because of that flag and it appearing as a pro-LGBT Hilton ad,” one user commented. “It persuades moderates or left leaning people to vote for him.”
Some viewers described discomfort with the ad’s imagery, while others praised what they interpreted as a clever subversion of expectations.
Hilton’s unorthodox messaging comes as he faces a significant deficit in the polls, trailing Becerra by approximately 18 percentage points. The ad’s shock-value approach appears calculated to break through in a race where conventional Republican appeals have historically failed to gain traction in statewide California contests.
The candidate’s campaign has not disclosed additional spots planned for the six-figure buy.