Steve Hilton, the Republican candidate for California governor, posted a video on X of a woman who said she is a lifelong Democrat and believes James Talarico should win in Texas, Democrats should take the House, and Hilton should be elected governor of California. According to the post, the clip is meant to show that California needs “balance.” Online users reacted after the pairing of those races, with many questioning whether backing Talarico in Texas amounts to the balance Hilton described.
The video shows the two standing in a living room in front of a television displaying Hilton campaign graphics, including a “Save with Steve $84,815” comparison. The woman, holding sunglasses, tells Hilton, “I am a lifelong Democrat, and I’m voting for you.”
She says, “I believe that Talarico should win in Texas, that the Democrats should take the House, and that you should be the governor of California,” adding, “That’s because we need balance.”
She continues that it is “important for [a] Democratic legislature and everybody to look over their shoulder, to feel a little challenged.” She then says, “A few months ago I would have said no way would I vote for a Trump-liking British carpetbagger, but over the last few months you have changed my opinion,” and that “the opponent is very weak, kind of an empty suit.” Hilton listens, nods, and laughs during that last stretch. The clip does not show what was said before it began.
Hilton is running in November against Democrat Xavier Becerra after finishing second in California’s June primary. James Talarico is the Democratic nominee in Texas’s 2026 U.S. Senate race. The post does not independently confirm the woman’s name, party registration, or voting history beyond Hilton’s description.
How Viewers Are Responding to Hilton’s ‘Balance’ Clip
Some treated the exchange as a sign that California voters are looking past party lines. One quote-poster wrote, “We are so far beyond Republican vs Democrat in this state. Everyone wants change.”
A California politics commentator said he had “never… spoken to so many Democrats and even self-identified socialists/Bernie bros who have told me they will be voting Republican,” citing Hilton’s tax pitch.
Another user said, “I honestly think California is going to be a surprise to many like New York was in 2022.”
Other commenters accepted the California portion of her remarks but rejected the rest. “Well, I hope she’s wrong about the first 2,” one reply said.
Another wrote, “Texas shouldn’t balance a potential flip of California governor,” adding that running as “dem-lite” would cost support. A Texas-based user said, “Talarico absolutely should NOT win in Texas.”
A smaller group focused on Hilton’s reaction in the clip. One commenter noted him “nodding his head that Talarico will take Texas and Democrats the House” and called him “a total chameleon.”
Others questioned the “balance” framing itself, including a reply that asked, “Talarico provide ‘balance’?”
For now, the clip has become another piece of the California governor’s race conversation about crossover voters. The replies remain split between those who see her remarks as a sign of demand for change in the state and those who reject treating a Talarico win in Texas as part of that same “balance.”
