Background: Steve Hilton is most notably known for hosting the Fox News television program The Next Revolution. He is a British-American who moved to California in 2012, becoming a citizen in 2021. He had served as the head of strategy for the UK Prime Minister David Cameron (2010-2012). Steve Hilton studied at the University of Oxford in England, where he majored and got a degree in PPE (Philosophy, Politics, Economics) in 1990. 

Controversy: Steve Hilton, due to his nationality, is often criticized for being out of touch with California's culture, specifically Southern California, after an incident in which he labeled a Del Taco menu item "an authentic street taco". Not to mention, Steve is a republican candidate running in a state that is known for being a blue state, and his endorsement from President Trump has brewed additional unease. 

Goals as Governor: Similar to other candidates, Steve's primary focus is on making California more affordable. He plans to achieve this by working towards making gas $3, cutting electric bills by half, and his proposal of eliminating income tax for the first $100,000 of income (eliminating state income tax for individuals making under $100,000). He plans to address the housing crisis by reducing regulations for developers and addressing homelessness by advocating for the removal of public homeless encampments and instead redirecting funding towards mandatory sober housing programs (mandated sobriety as a requirement for residency).

Background: Xavier Becerra is a long-serving Democratic politician and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (2021–2025)  and California Attorney General (2017–2021). He is the first Latino to serve as both California’s attorney general and the nation’s health secretary. 

Controversy: Becerra's handling of the influx of unaccompanied migrant children at HHS has been criticized, with reports of checks failing to reach more than 85,000 children over a two-year span. 

Campaign: Xavier Becerra is positioning himself as a pragmatic, experienced leader with a strong record in health care, criminal justice reform, and pandemic response. Xavier Becerra plans to expand protections under the Affordable Care Act, as well as provide protections to trans youth and families. Berrera is workign to financially releave working class Californias with their utility bills and add housing units.