Steve Hilton posted video of a shirtless man brawling with a security guard on a Los Angeles street, using the scene to blast city conditions.
The Republican gubernatorial candidate, 55, filmed the altercation Sunday night while walking through an area he called “fentanyl alley.” Hilton, a former Fox News host and onetime British political adviser, narrated the footage as the fight unfolded feet away from him.
“We’ve just been filming in fentanyl alley. No city should have a fentanyl alley. No city should have this kind of chaos. We got to have a change in California,” Hilton said on camera as the security guard and shirtless man grappled.
He later shared the clip on his X account, writing that “this is the kind of chaos everywhere” in the city.
Hilton’s campaign has centered on sweeping promises to transform California. He has pledged to clear every homeless encampment in the state by December 31, 2027, with a Labor Day 2027 deadline for local leaders to show progress. He said he would convene meetings with mayors and county leaders in his first month as governor to set public deadlines for the removals.
The candidate also unveiled a vision for California’s bullet train project Sunday, releasing an AI-generated campaign ad that portrayed the High-Speed Rail initiative as a “failed promise.” The opening sequence depicted Skid Row transformed into a luxurious destination resembling Rodeo Drive, complete with cherry blossoms and fine dining.
The same ad showed the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica bustling with shoppers, gas prices at $3 a gallon, and families returning to the roads.
Hilton has additionally promised to make the first $150,000 of income tax-free, cut electricity bills in half, bring gas prices down to $3 a gallon, and abolish the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Earlier in the week, he vowed to suspend California’s carbon market, calling it “a disaster of a program.”
The street fight video marked the latest attempt by Hilton to link chaotic urban imagery to his political message. His campaign rhetoric has consistently tied visible disorder to calls for systemic overhaul of state governance.
Hilton is running against Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom in the November 3 election. The race has drawn national attention as Republicans seek to break Democratic dominance in the nation’s most populous state.
The former British political adviser entered American politics through conservative media before launching his gubernatorial bid. His campaign style has relied heavily on direct-to-camera moments and social media documentation of California conditions.
Hilton’s encampment clearing pledge represents one of the most aggressive homelessness policies proposed by a major California candidate, with hard deadlines that would require unprecedented coordination between state and local governments.