Steve Hilton blames broken system for Gov. defeat despite promising $3 gas and huge tax relief. But hes not done yet

This may seem like a strange time for a candidate who lost in the biggest Republican wipeout for half a century to be optimistic — but I am.That’s because here in California we laid the foundations of an ideas-led revival that has the potential to sweep the nation as powerfully as the “Bluenami” crashed across America last week.My campaign for governor was based on an idea that has been my focus for the past decade: “Positive Populism.” Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.Please provide a valid email.

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It began with a chart I came across when writing my 2015 book, “More Human.”It showed that since the mid 1970s, the earnings of the majority of American workers, after inflation, had barely risen at all. Over the same period, the incomes of the top 20%, and of US corporations, went up like a hockey stick.We had decades of economic growth and wealth creation — but regardless of who was in power or which policies were pursued, the typical working family in America was no better off.This is why in 2016 we saw the rise of the modern populist movement, in various forms: Brexit, Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders.Fast forward to the 2026 midterms and we can see that once again, regular working people are crying out for change, frustrated with the status quo.And they sure voted accordingly.Of course everyone has a theory about what happened and why.

But we have some facts, too.Our campaign for governor delivered the best performance (OK, least bad!) of pretty much any Republican in the country, in terms of the fall in GOP support since 2024. That’s despite being massively outspent, unlike Republicans in states like Texas and Florida who had way more money than their Democratic opponents.Among non-DSA voters, we cut in half the 20-point lead that Democrats have held in California for the l...