Steve Hilton faces GOP backlash over provocative California campaign ad

California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is facing backlash from within his own party following the release of a provocative digital advertisement titled ‘Just Try It, California’. The ad features two young women in a suggestive setting with a Pride flag in the background, where one woman encourages the other to fill out a mail-in ballot for Hilton before telling her to ‘lick it’, referring to the envelope.

The campaign intended the ad to be a strategy to persuade liberal voters to experiment with Republicanism. However, the content has drawn sharp criticism from conservative figures. Sonja Shaw, the Republican nominee for state superintendent of public instruction, described the video as ‘creepy, weird, disturbing garbage’. Additionally, evangelical pastor Jack Hibbs criticized the ad for its portrayal of lesbianism.

Democratic opponent Xavier Becerra has also utilized the controversy to critique Hilton. Hilton has defended the approach, stating that the campaign must do things differently to reach voters in California.