{"id":2578764,"date":"2026-03-11T17:48:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T21:48:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-steve-hiltons-california-poll-lead-could-benefit-democrats\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T17:50:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T21:50:15","slug":"why-steve-hiltons-california-poll-lead-could-benefit-democrats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-steve-hiltons-california-poll-lead-could-benefit-democrats\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Steve Hilton&#8217;s California poll lead could benefit Democrats"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhy-steve-hiltons-california-poll-lead-could-benefit-democrats%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2578764&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>California\u2019s 2026 gubernatorial race features Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, gaining momentum in a crowded field. In a Politico-reported poll based on UC Berkeley\u2019s Citrin Center for Public Opinion Research, Hilton leads with about 19% of likely voters, followed by Democratic candidate Tom Steyer at 13%, with Swalwell and porter also in the mix and roughly 17% undecided. A separate Emerson College\/Inside California Politics poll shows Swalwell at 17% and Hilton at 13%, with more than a quarter of voters undecided. The results illustrate a volatile race under California\u2019s jungle primary system,where the top two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-poll-trump-backed-kelly-tshibaka-leads-alaska-senate-race-lisa-murkowski-losing-in-reelection-bid\/\" title=\"Exclusive \u2014 Poll: Trump-Backed Kelly Tshibaka Leads Alaska Senate ..., Lisa Murkowski Losing in Reelection Bid\">vote-getters advance<\/a> to November irrespective of party.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats worry that vote-splitting in a crowded field could allow Republicans to claim two top-two slots, potentially denying the party a strong showing in November. To counter this,the California Democratic Party is funding multiple polls to help narrow the field,noting that eight democrats remain compared with two Republicans after one dropped out. Hilton\u2019s rise also prompts mixed reactions within the party: some strategists acknowledge that a unified Republican front could backfire on Democrats if it consolidates support behind one candidate, but Hilton\u2019s own comments targeting Democratic leadership-claiming a crisis in the party after years of one-party rule-signal a high-stakes, high-drama race. The broader concern is that a top-two Republican outcome could depress turnout and threaten down-ballot races, including Congress.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Why Republican Steve Hilton increasing his lead in the California polls could be beneficial for Democrats<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2256729\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4481772\/steve-hilton-kamala-harris-security-detail-governor\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4481772\">Republican Steve Hilton<\/a> is gaining momentum in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"60\">California&rsquo;s<\/a> crowded and chaotic <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11675\">governor&rsquo;s race<\/a>, but the development might actually end up a good thing for Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>Hilton, a former Fox News host, is leading the 10-candidate deep primary race with 19% of likely voters, according to the latest&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/f\/?id=0000019c-d9e2-dd96-a9be-ddfa65c50000\">UC Berkeley Citrin Center for Public Opinion Research-POLITICO poll<\/a>. Behind him is a pile-up of tied candidates, including Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer at 13%, followed by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), and former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter. Of the&nbsp;1,004 likely voters&nbsp;polled, 17% said they were undecided.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4488763\/watch-live-trump-speaks-massie-kentucky-district\/\">WATCH LIVE: Trump speaks in Thomas Massie&#8217;s Kentucky district<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4488603\/trump-massie-gallrein-past-republican-party-change\/\">Trump defends Massie primary challenger for leaving GOP in past: &#8216;Ed still supported me&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4488169\/house-gop-chiefs-insist-defy-history-keep-majority-2026\/\">House GOP says 2026 will be no blue wave, but a &lsquo;knife fight in a dark alley&rsquo;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Hilton, separating himself from the pack, however, has at least some Democratic strategists breathing a small sigh of relief. Crucially, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, the only other Republican in the race, sits on 11% in the new poll.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;A unified&nbsp;Republican base for one candidate does benefit Democrats who desperately need to get one of their candidates to finish in the top two in the June jungle primary, a major flash point between the party and its candidates as pressure builds for single-digit polling candidates to end their campaign,&rdquo; political expert Jeff Le told the&nbsp;<em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Steve Hilton speaks during the California gubernatorial candidate debate Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo\/Laure Andrillon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >separate poll<\/a>, it&rsquo;s Swalwell who&rsquo;s got the edge, leading with 17% of likely voters, according to an Emerson College Polling\/Inside California Politics <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/emersoncollegepolling.com\/california-2026-poll-swalwell-takes-lead-in-governor-primary-25-undecided-election-for-la-mayor-wide-open\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/emersoncollegepolling.com\/california-2026-poll-swalwell-takes-lead-in-governor-primary-25-undecided-election-for-la-mayor-wide-open\/\">poll <\/a>released Wednesday. Hilton trailed, with 13%.&nbsp; More than 25% of voters were undecided.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Fears that a fractured Democratic field could produce a shocking result in the blue state&rsquo;s gubernatorial election have prompted the state&rsquo;s party chairman to implore candidates who can&rsquo;t realistically win to drop out.<\/p>\n<p>In an&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/cadem.org\/open-letter-to-the-democratic-candidates-for-governor\/\">open letter&nbsp;<\/a>to the crowded field vying to replace term-limited Democratic&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gavin-newsom\/\">Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/a>,&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4462053\/california-democrats-meet-party-fractured-primary-2026-elections\/\">Rusty Hicks<\/a>&nbsp;warned that infighting and ego-driven campaigns risked handing Republicans a viable path to the governor&rsquo;s mansion. One person dropped out, bringing the total number of Democratic candidates to eight and Republicans to two.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Despite Democrats&rsquo; overwhelming advantage in the deep-blue state and nearly two decades of dominance, strategists have started to worry that the state&rsquo;s &ldquo;jungle primary&rdquo; system could scramble expectations.<\/p>\n<p>Under the system, the two highest vote-getters advance to November regardless of party. With so many Democrats splitting the vote, party officials fear Republicans could consolidate behind fewer candidates and capture both general-election slots, locking Democrats out entirely. But in order for that to happen, Hilton and Bianco would likely have to split their support. Hilton eating into Bianco&rsquo;s support makes the Republican top two scenario less likely.<\/p>\n<p>The stakes of the governor&rsquo;s race extend beyond Sacramento. Democrats fear a November ballot without a Democrat at the top of the ticket could depress turnout statewide, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ca-democratic-party-chairman-tells-trailing-gubernatorial-candidates-to-drop\/\" title=\"CA Democratic ... tells trailing gubernatorial ...s to drop\">threatening congressional races critical<\/a> to the party&rsquo;s hopes of reclaiming the House majority.<\/p>\n<p>The California Democratic Party announced this week it is allocating hundreds of thousands of dollars for a series of six polls in the governor&rsquo;s race, with the first set of results expected for March 24. Hicks said the polling is intended to give the clogged candidates and voters a clearer sense of where the race stands.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Now that the filing deadline has passed, candidates have the chance to demonstrate whether they have a credible path to victory,&rdquo; he told the <em>Los Angeles Times<\/em>. &ldquo;Our goal is to make sure everyone has the information needed to understand the current dynamics of the contest.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4486529\/california-democrat-pressure-campaign-narrow-governor-race\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4486529\">CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS CRAFT PRESSURE CAMPAIGN TO NARROW GOVERNOR&rsquo;S RACE FIELD<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hilton had previously told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> he finds it &ldquo;entertaining&rdquo; to watch the Democrats strategize against him.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&nbsp;think it&rsquo;s hilarious to see them panicking,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When you look at who they&rsquo;ve actually got running, it&rsquo;s just a disaster for them. They&rsquo;ve got no one of the kind of stature or leadership that you would expect from a state that&rsquo;s just the jewel in the crown of the Democrat Party nationally. And it just shows you that after 16 years of one-party rule, this is what you get. It&rsquo;s like a conveyor belt of crappier and crappier politicians.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hilton&#8217;s CA lead could aid Democrats<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2578765,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26035132046309.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651,538],"tags":[75585,35835,3685,40635,44966],"class_list":["post-2578764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-california-polls","tag-campaign-strategy","tag-democrats","tag-political-polling","tag-steve-hilton"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26035132046309.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2578764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2578764"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2578764\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2578768,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2578764\/revisions\/2578768"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2578765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2578764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2578764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2578764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}