The golden state has a new favourite son. And he learned his trade in the grey corridors of Westminster. Steve Hilton, the former Downing Street aide to David Cameron, is now leading the race for California governor. A stunning turn for a man who once advised the Tories on 'modernisation'. Now he is the insurgent in the recall election against Gavin Newsom. The polls have him ahead. The money is flowing in. And the British political class is watching with a mix of amusement and envy.
Hilton left No. 10 in 2012. He went to Stanford. He wrote a book. He became a Fox News commentator. But he never lost the instincts of a political operator. He saw the recall as an opportunity. A chance to harness anti-lockdown sentiment. A chance to sell a message of 'personal responsibility' over state control. It is a message that resonates in a state tired of mandates.
The campaign is slick. Hilton has recruited a team of former Tory strategists. They are running a classic British operation. Tight message discipline. Attacks on the opponent's record. A focus on a few key battlegrounds. But they have learned to be more aggressive. More direct. More American.
Newsom is weak. The homeless crisis. The wildfires. The school closures. Hilton hits all these points. But the real issue is competence. Newsom's approval rating has cratered. Hilton offers a clean break. He is not a career politician. He is an outsider. An entrepreneur. A family man. It is a potent mix.
The British political class is divided. Some see Hilton as a traitor. He left the UK. He took British ideas to America. But others see it as a vindication. British political talent is globally respected. The 'special relationship' extends to campaigns. Hilton is proof that a British strategist can go all the way.
But the race is not over. Newsom still has money. He has the backing of the Democratic establishment. He will fight dirty. He will paint Hilton as a Trump supporter. A radical. A British interloper. Hilton's team is ready. They have a rapid rebuttal unit. They are tracking every attack. They will respond in kind.
The result will be a bellwether. If Hilton wins, it will change British political consulting forever. Every young strategist will dream of California. The great game will have a new frontier. The Lobby will have a new obsession. A former Downing Street man in the Governor's mansion. It is a scenario that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. Now it is a live possibility.
