People › Statewide
Steve Hilton
Governor
Running in 2026: Governor (June 2) “Small Business Owner” · Governor (November 3) “Small Business Owner”
Form 700 statements
| Statement | Filed | What it lists |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Candidate Governor | 2026-03-06 | 111 investments, 3 businesses & trusts, 4 income |
Findings
None.
Campaign money: Governor
Plus $1,949,123 in 983 contributions reported within 24 hours since their latest full report, which ends 2026-09-19: not yet in the totals above (they'll move into them, not be added twice, when the next full report comes in).
California Republican Party $195,134 2026-09-29 · Dmitriy Chebotarev $39,200 2026-10-09 · Melissa Draper $39,200 2026-10-09 · Karen Hargrove $39,200 2026-09-28 · Rick Hargrove $39,200 2026-09-28 · Mark Kolokotrones $39,200 2026-09-27 · Karen Spencer $39,200 2026-10-01 · Michael Hart $39,000 2026-10-08 · Richard Spencer and affliates $31,831 2026-09-25 · Kelly Burt $29,900 2026-09-28
IndividualsBusinessesTrade, professional and issue groupsLabor unionsTribal governmentsPolitical partiesOther candidates and officeholders
Plus $90,379 of their own money and from their earlier campaigns' committees. Compare with all state candidates →
How it was spent: $23,776,889
Largest payees: Ax Media $5,467,804 TV and cable · Rockwell Solutions $5,303,667 Literature and mailings · Convergence Media LLC $3,067,217 Consultants · Remington Research Group $1,274,314 Campaign paraphernalia, misc. · American Express $708,833 Staff travel and meals · Pluvious Group LLC $505,409 Fundraising events · The KAL Group Inc. $490,209 Legal and accounting · Liquid Consulting LLC $488,073 Consultants
Payments on their full reports (Form 460 Schedule E) covering 2025–2026, by the FPPC's expense codes; a consultant's payments to others (ads, mail) show under the consultant.
| Top contributors | Type | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Hilton Retired · The Steve Hilton Show · Greer | Person | $90,224.95 |
| David Jackson Retired · Retired · Villa Park | Person | $78,551.02 |
| Angela Ahrendts-Couch Retired · Retired · San Martin | Person | $78,400 |
| Michael Chunhan Engineer · Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions Inc. · White City | Person | $78,400 |
| Tim Draper Owner · Boris LLC · San Mateo | Person | $78,400 |
| Andrea Friese Retired · Retired · Chatsworth | Person | $78,400 |
| Donald Friese Retired · Retired · Chatsworth | Person | $78,400 |
| Susan Groff Retired · Retired · Los Angeles | Person | $78,400 |
| James Jameson Owner · Lidco Inc. · Del Mar | Person | $78,400 |
| Rupert Murdoch Chairman Emeritus · Fox Corporation · New York | Person | $78,400 |
| Chris Rufer Farmer · Morning Star Company · Woodland | Person | $78,400 |
| Thomas Saunders Senior Vice President · Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions Inc. · Grants Pass | Person | $78,400 |
| Rochelle Sterling Retired · Retired · Beverly Hills | Person | $78,400 |
| Frank Suryan Chairman and CEO · Lyon Living · Newport Beach | Person | $78,400 |
| Tae Yun Kim Management/Chairman · Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions Inc. · Medford | Person | $78,300 |
Committees: Steve Hilton for Governor 2026. From the Secretary of State's Cal-Access export; reports covering 2025–2026.
Outside spending for and against them
| Spender | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| HILTON FOR GOVERNOR 2026, SPONSORED BY ORGANIZATIONS OPPOSING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR; GREATER GOLDEN STATE, OPPOSING primary · latest report | against | $2,178,228 |
| NEW MAJORITY PAC general · latest report | for | $88,366 |
| Reform Local Government PAC primary · latest report | for | $13,750 |
| Republican Party of Fresno County (State) general · latest report | for | $7,386 |
| El Dorado County Republican Central Committee (State) general · latest report | for | $3,263 |
| SAN DIEGO COUNTY GUN OWNERS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE general · latest report | for | $3,035 |
Independent expenditures reported within 24 hours (Form 496), from 2025. The candidate doesn't control them.
Their donors also gave to
Their largest donors who also funded other 2026 state candidates.
| Donor | To them | Candidates funded | By party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Rufer Farmer, The Morning Star Company · Woodland | $78,400 | 5 | |
| Susan Groff Retired, Retired · Los Angeles | $78,400 | 3 | |
| Scott McMillin Retired, Retired · San Diego | $78,400 | 3 | |
| Donald Friese Retired, Retired · Chatsworth | $78,400 | 2 | |
| Ellis Jones Finance, Wasserstein & Co · Los Angeles | $78,200 | 2 | |
| David Jackson Educator, Fairmont Schools · Newport Beach | $68,400 | 2 | |
| California Republican Party Party committee · Sacramento | $68,000 | 10 | |
| Steve Bardack Not Employed, Not Employed · Los Angeles | $59,200 | 3 | |
| Susan McMillin Retired, Retired · San Diego | $45,900 | 2 | |
| Michael Furby Contractor and Developer, Marathon Construction · La Jolla | $45,000 | 6 | |
| Steven Eggert Founder, American River Partners · Sacramento | $44,200 | 3 | |
| Jeffrey Burns Mortgage Banker, Walker & Dunlop · Danville | $42,947 | 3 | |
| Richard Spencer Developer, Spencer Enterprises · Fresno | $40,198 | 8 | |
| William Doddridge Chief Executive Officer, The Jewelry Exchange · Tustin | $40,000 | 3 | |
| Steven Craig Real Estate Development, Craig Realty Group · Newport Coast | $39,200 | 3 |