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California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton came out swinging against former Vice President Kamala Harris as she mulls a bid to become Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom’s successor.
"It’s never about us. It’s always about her," Hilton said about the discussion of a potential run, citing a Politico report that she’s interested in the idea of being the country’s first Black woman governor.
"Let me tell you, leading the greatest state in the greatest nation on Earth is not some consolation prize to be handed out to a failed and rejected machine politician from Washington who can barely string a coherent sentence together and who thinks she should get this job because of her identity but not her ability," he added.
Steve Hilton took aim at former Vice President Kamala Harris, who may run for California governor. (Fox News/Screenshot | AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Hilton launched his campaign in Huntington Beach on Tuesday morning, touting endorsements ranging from Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Rep. Kevin Kiley and actor Jon Voight.
He joins the race as recent polling indicated that just under half of likely voters in California would consider backing a Republican for governor, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Politico recently reported that Harris is considering the bid after losing the presidential race to now-President Donald Trump in November. If she enters, she would likely become the frontrunner in the Democrat field. Hilton compared her to the "marine layer threatening to come in and block out the sun."
Kamala Harris (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
"So, bring it, Kamala, if you decide to run for governor, we will beat you again," Hilton told the crowd.
The Golden State has a jungle primary system rather than a nomination system, which leads to the possibility that members of the same political party could be the finalists in a general election race.
On the Democrat side, a long list of candidates includes former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Rep. Katie Porter and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis. On the Republican side, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is in the race to take the helm in Sacramento.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/File)
If a Republican were elected governor of the Golden State, they would likely continue to face a Democrat supermajority in the legislature. Newsom will be termed out of office and unable to serve a third term. Newsom won re-election by a wide margin against Republican Brian Dahle in 2022, and the Democrat fended off a recall election in 2021.
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The state continues to face internal and external pressures as it deals with Los Angeles fire recovery, affordability concerns leading people to move, and recent oil refinery closure announcements that could create major energy production issues.
Fox News Digital reached out to Harris' office for comment.
Cameron Arcand is a politics writer at Fox News Digital in Washington D.C. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @cameron_arcand
