Steve Hilton vows to end men in women’s sports as Calif. governor

A California gubernatorial candidate is vowing to end the “obscenity of biological boys in girls’ sports” as he encourages Republicans to remain optimistic about the party’s chances in the uphill quests to win major statewide races this year. 

Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Church in Chino Hills, California, hosted a discussion with two Republican candidates seeking statewide office in California this year: gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton and attorney general candidate Michael Gates. The two candidates shared their views on the problems roiling California and what they would do if elected.

California hasn’t had a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger left office after the 2010 election and hasn’t had a Republican attorney general in decades. 

During the conversation, Hilton drew attention to a bracelet he was wearing featuring the words “Save Girls’ Sports.” “It was given to me by a wonderful activist who set up an organization to fight for girls’ sports,” he said. 

Hilton condemned the actions of those who allow trans-identified male athletes to compete in girls’ statewide track and field championships, expressing disgust that a “biological boy” was stealing “the trophies and the honor and the glory from girls who’d worked so hard for it.”

If elected governor, Hilton vowed to overturn Assembly Bill 1266, the 2013 legislation that enabled trans-identified male athletes to compete in women’s sports. 

“It’s unconstitutional,” Hilton proclaimed. “It violates the principle of gender equality because what is it if it’s not discrimination against girls?” 

Hilton also pointed to the law as a violation of Article 28 of California’s Constitution, which deals with “protecting safety in schools.”

“We’re going to end the obscenity of biological boys in girls’ sports,” he said, adding, “I said to that young activist, I will wear this bracelet until we get it done.” 

Gates, a Republican candidate for attorney general, made his opening pitch to attendees by detailing how “a lot of the reasons why I’m in this race and taking this on is because I’m very blessed. God really has blessed me, my wife, my children and grandchildren in so many ways.” 

“I had had so many great experiences in the private sector and I thought to myself, gosh, if I had a position like, especially an elected position where you have a lot more independence and freedom, … I could probably do so much good for the folks, for the people, for my community,” he added, reflecting on his motivation for his successful 2014 run for the office of city attorney in Huntington Beach. 

Polling of the gubernatorial race shows that Hilton has a shot at advancing to the general election by taking a top spot in the state’s nonpartisan primary, where all candidates run together on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation.

A poll of 1,000 likely voters conducted by Emerson College from Dec. 1-2, 2025, shows Republican candidate Chad Bianco leading with 13%, followed by Hilton and Democrat Eric Swalwell tied in second place at 12%. Democrat Katie Porter is close behind, with 11% support. 

In a match-up between a Democrat and a Republican, the Democrat would be heavily favored in the overwhelmingly Democratic state. Gates is expected to face Democrat Rob Bonta in the attorney general election. 

However, Hilton insisted that there is a path to a Republican victory in November even if a Democrat makes it to the general election. “This is a much more Republican state than people think,” he said. 

Hilton projected a turnout of 11.7 million voters in this year’s California election based on the average number of votes cast in the two most recent midterm elections: 2018 and 2022. “So, to win statewide, I’m going to need, let’s call it half of that, 5.9 million,” he explained. “And people say there aren’t enough Republican votes. Do you know how many votes President Trump got here in California without even campaigning here in 2024? 6.1 million.” 

“If everybody who voted for President Trump in 2024 in California votes for me and for Michael in 2026, then we will be the governor and the attorney general with 200,000 votes to spare,” Hilton added. “We have got to believe in ourselves, believe in our mission and then I know we can get it done.” 

While Hilton is correct that an average of about 11.7 million Californians voted in the two most recent gubernatorial elections, with approximately 12.5 million votes cast in 2018 and about 10.9 million votes cast in 2022, Democrat Gavin Newsom won about 7.7 million votes in 2018 and approximately 6.4 million votes in 2022, while his Republican challengers got around 4.7 million and 4.4 million, respectively. In both races, the number of votes obtained by the Republican candidate fell significantly short of the 6.1 million target set by Hilton.