Republican California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton said Monday that if elected governor, his first executive order would create a “Taxpayer Fraud Strike Force” to investigate and prosecute alleged fraud, waste and abuse in California government — with Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom at the top of the list.
Hilton detailed the proposal in an on-camera Fox News Digital interview with Paul Steinhauser in Los Angeles on the eve of California’s top-two primary, where voters will decide which two candidates advance to the November general election.
“This is my first executive order,” Hilton said. “This is Day 1 of the new administration. We’re going to clean house in California.”
The draft executive order, released by Hilton’s campaign, would establish the California Taxpayer Fraud Strike Force to investigate alleged fraud, corruption, theft, abuse of public funds and government mismanagement.
“We will not spare anyone,” Hilton said. “Gavin Newsom will be top of our target list because for years Newsom was warned by the state auditor, by other state agencies, his own state agencies, that billions of dollars were being stolen, and he did nothing about it.
“What we’re going to be investigating with this executive order, setting up a task force, a strike force to look at criminal prosecution, is whether there was criminal negligence on the part of Gavin Newsom and other state officials,” Hilton added. “And if there was, then they will be prosecuted.”
California’s Tuesday primary features a crowded top-two field, with Hilton among the leading Republican candidates and several Democrats, including Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer, competing for a spot in November.
“I don’t think there’s anything more serious than taking responsibility for taxpayer money,” Hilton said. “We have the highest taxes in the country, in California, and we get the worst results. And one of the reasons is that the money has been stolen.”
When reached for comment, Newsom’s office did not take Hilton's candidacy seriously.
“Who is Steve Hilton?" a statement to Fox News read. "California will keep leading the way in cracking down on fraud with tougher laws, more investigations, and stronger accountability to protect taxpayers. While this individual wants to create headlines, we are actually doing the work to take any allegations of fraud seriously.”
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is facing Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman in a contest that could shape the next phase of Democrat politics in the longtime blue state.
Haaland, a former congresswoman and the first Native American Cabinet secretary, would become the first Native American woman elected governor of any state if she wins in November.
Bregman is running as a law-and-order Democrat with a prosecutor’s profile, giving the primary a clear contrast in style and emphasis.
Republicans also have a three-way race for governor, with former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, medical cannabis entrepreneur Duke Rodriguez and business owner Doug Turner competing for the nomination.
The general election will decide who manages a state budget deeply tied to energy production at a moment when oil and gas revenues remain central to New Mexico politics.
Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., is running for another term and faces a Democrat primary challenge from community organizer Matt Dodson.
On the Republican side, Larry Marker is running as a certified write-in candidate and must receive 2,351 votes to become the GOP nominee. If he falls short, no Republican Senate candidate will appear on the general election ballot.
Polls close at 9 p.m. ET in New Mexico.
A crowded Republican primary for governor could shape the state’s political direction well before November.
A sitting governor, a congressman, a legislative leader and a businessman are all fighting for control of the state GOP’s future.
GOP Gov. Larry Rhoden is seeking a full term after taking over in 2025, when Kristi Noem left to join President Donald Trump’s Cabinet.
But Rhoden did not clear the field. He faces a competitive primary against Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., state House Speaker Jon Hansen and businessman Toby Doeden.
The race carries extra stakes because South Dakota requires candidates for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House to win at least 35% of the vote to avoid a runoff. If no candidate hits that mark, the top two advance to a June 23 runoff.
At the top of the federal ballot, Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., is running for a third term and faces U.S. Navy veteran Justin McNeal in the Republican primary.
Former state trooper Julian Beaudion is unopposed for the Democrati nomination, while independent Brian Bengs — who ran against Senate Majority Leader John Thune in 2022 — is also running in November.
South Dakota’s lone House seat is also open because Johnson is running for governor. Attorney General Marty Jackley is running in the Republican primary against James Bialota, while Democrat Nicole Gronli is set for the general election.
The state remains strongly Republican, meaning tonight’s GOP winners will likely enter the fall campaign with a clear advantage.
The last polls close at 9 p.m. ET in South Dakota.
{{#rendered}}Two surprise Republican retirements have turned a normally red-state primary night into one of the more intriguing watches on the map.
The question is whether Montana Republicans quickly consolidate behind President Donald Trump-backed candidates — or whether late retirements, independent bids and Democrat enthusiasm can create a more unpredictable fall map than expected.
The top race is the Republican Senate primary to replace Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., whose last-minute decision to abandon his reelection bid scrambled the field.
Former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme quickly jumped in and locked down major GOP support, including endorsements from President Donald Trump and Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont.
He faces Lee Calhoun and Charles Walking Child in the Republican primary.
Former state Rep. Reilly Neill leads the Democrat field. The winners will move on to a November race that also includes independent Seth Bodnar, the former University of Montana president, whose campaign could complicate the general election in a state with a strong independent streak.
Montana’s 1st Congressional District is also open after Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., announced his retirement. Trump has endorsed conservative radio host Aaron Flint, who is running against several Republicans for the nomination.
On the Democrat side, union organizer Sam Forstag is facing former gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse. Forstag has drawn national progressive attention, including support from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who campaigned in the district last month.
Primay polls close at 10 p.m. ET in Montana.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump is throwing his political weight behind Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton's upstart campaign in the deep-blue state.
"CALIFORNIA: Vote today for Steve Hilton for Governor," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday morning.
"He will work with me and the Federal Government, the money will flow because I have confidence in him (but not any of the others!), and we will MAKE CALIFORNIA GREAT AGAIN. Steve Hilton will NEVER let you down. VOTE NOW!"
Polls close at 8 p.m. ET in New Jersey, where several House and Senate primaries will test the direction of both parties ahead of November.
New Jersey Democrats have moved quickly to harness the political populism of the state’s anti-ICE movement, arguing that backlash to federal immigration enforcement can help them hold off Republicans in key races.
The issue has been especially visible after protests around the Delaney Hall ICE facility in Newark, which have become a flashpoint heading into primary night.
The marquee race is in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, where Democrats are choosing a nominee to take on Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., in one of the state’s most competitive House seats.
Kean has no primary challenger, but he has drawn scrutiny after missing more than 100 House votes while dealing with an undisclosed medical issue. Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, is among the Democrats seeking the nomination.
In the Republican Senate primary, former TV reporter Alex Zdan is seen as the likeliest nominee to face Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., in November. Still, the result will be watched for any overperformance by Richard Tabor, Justin Murphy or Robert Lebovics, which could signal lingering volatility inside the state GOP.
In New Jersey’s 10th District, Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., seeks to continue representing the heavily Democrat Newark-area seat.
In the 11th District, Rep. Analilia Mejia, D-N.J., a progressive who has called for abolishing ICE, is looking to advance in another race shaped by the party’s left flank.
The most crowded contest is in the 12th District, where Democrats are competing to replace retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman in a safe Democrat seat. Adam Hamawy, a trauma surgeon and former Army medic backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has emerged as a leading progressive contender.
He is running on a platform that includes abolishing ICE, an arms embargo on Israel and changes in Democrat leadership. Hamawy has also faced scrutiny for connection convicted terrorist Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, a blind Egyptian cleric convicted in 1995 of conspiring to blow up the United Nations and other New York-area landmarks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}The immense power of President Donald Trump’s endorsements in Republican primaries will once again face a key test on Tuesday.
Trump late last week endorsed Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra in the competitive GOP gubernatorial nomination race in the battle to succeed retiring longtime Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Feenstra is one of the front-runners in primary ballot box showdown that also includes entrepreneur and private school co-founder Zach Lahn, who is backed by the influential conservative group Turning Point USA, as well as state Rep. Eddie Andrews, former state Rep. Brad Sherman and former state administrative services director Adam Steen.
The winner will face Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand, who is unopposed in his primary. Sand is the only Democrat currently elected to statewide office.
The brute force of the president's endorsement power and the immense grip he has on the Republican Party has been on display in GOP primaries the past month, with candidates Trump backed ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Texas.
Iowa, once a key general election battleground state, shifted to the right over the past decade. Trump carried the Hawkeye State by 13 points in his 2024 presidential election victory and Republicans control the governor’s office, the legislature, and hold both U.S. Senate and all four U.S. House seats.
But with Republicans facing a very rough midterm political climate, Democrats are optimistic about their chances in Iowa this autumn.
Republicans are looking for signs of a political breakthrough as voters head to the polls in a slate of primary elections spanning California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota.
The most attention-grabbing race is in Los Angeles, where reality TV personality and social media viral sensation Spencer Pratt is trying to turn celebrity, clever ads and a Trump endorsement into a serious challenge for City Hall.
Running as an independent with Republican backing in the deep-blue stranglehold of Los Angeles, Pratt has centered his campaign on homelessness, crime and government accountability, arguing that families no longer feel safe in the nation’s second-largest city.
Mayor Karen Bass, seeking a second term, has lined up major Democrat support, including endorsements from Gov. Gavin Newsom and other top California Democrats.
But Pratt’s rise has given Republicans a rare opening in a city where they have not won the mayor’s office in three decades. The key question is whether he can force the race into a November runoff.
California’s governor’s race is another major test. With Newsom term-limited, Republican Steve Hilton is trying to capitalize on a crowded Democrat field and California’s top-two primary system, where all candidates run on the same ballot and the top two advance regardless of party.
If Democrats split their vote, Republicans could have a path to the general election in a state where statewide GOP victories have been elusive for years.
Meanwhile, Iowa offers a different kind of test : President Donald Trump’s influence inside the Republican Party. His endorsement in the GOP gubernatorial primary will be closely watched as another measure of his clout with primary voters.
On the Democrat side, Iowa’s Senate primary is also drawing attention as establishment and progressive forces battle for the nomination.
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