A provocative and sexually suggestive ad by GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is drawing criticism from fellow Republicans and attracting millions of viewers online. Two young women sitting on a bed, with an LGBTQ+ flag in the background, one urges the other to try a new experience. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” one woman says, and the other responds. “Don’t be nervous. It’s not that bad… Just try it. Look, give me your hand. Close your eyes and I’ll do all the work.” She leads the hesitant woman’s hand to mark her ballot for Hilton instead of Democrat Xavier Becerra, the front-runner in the race, and says, “Now lick it,” referring to the mail-in ballot envelope. Fellow Republicans, as well as several Democrats, denounced Hilton for the message. A member of Hilton’s “Golden Ticket” Republican Party on the Nov. 3 ballot lashed out at the content of the ad. “I strongly denounce the use of young women as a political tool,” Michael Gates, the Republican candidate for attorney general who has frequently appeared alongside Hilton at campaign events, wrote in X. “California families deserve better, and as attorney general, I will fight every day to protect our girls, young women, and parents’ rights.” Sonja Shaw, who is running to be the state’s next schools superintendent and has occasionally campaigned alongside Hilton, chastised him, the state Republican Party and its chairwoman for promoting the ad, which had been seen by nearly 5 million people as of Saturday afternoon. “Shame on you… for reposting and applauding this creepy, strange, disturbing garbage,” Shaw wrote on Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), a gay member of Congress, and state Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks also condemned the ad. “This is a strange and desperate ad from a person who has attacked the LGBTQ+ community and supports Donald Trump,” Garcia said. “Hilton is losing and is more interested in AI than talking about issues Californians care about.” Hilton acknowledged that the ad had sparked strong reactions, but he underscored the basis of his campaign: that many Californians may be discouraged by their party affiliation but want change given the state’s myriad problems, such as growing unaffordability, that have taken place under Democratic control of every state office and the state Legislature. “We’re just saying, you know, just try it,” he said in an interview. “It’s a provocative and humorous way to make a point, right? Which often makes the best communication.” She also said the ad does not conflict with her beliefs about restrictions on gender-affirming care and youth sports because they would only apply to people who are not adults. Hours after The Times’ interview with Hilton, he posted a video online acknowledging that some were unhappy with the announcement and expressed remorse for having caused them pain. “Overwhelmingly, the reaction has been positive,” he said. said. “But it’s also true that a lot of people, a lot of you, may have been offended by that ad. Now, of course, that was never anyone’s intention. We were trying to make a point in a provocative way, in a satirical way, no one was trying to offend anyone. But I know a lot of you are offended, and I’ve had those conversations, and it saddens me to understand how that made you feel. And I really want to tell you very directly that I get it, I get it.” A spokesman for Becerra, who led Hilton 58% to 33% in a recent UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll, was jubilant about the division the ad was creating among Republicans. “MAGA is breaking down over Steve Hilton’s horrifying announcement because they finally see him for the traitor he really is, willing to abandon his own twisted values to get ahead,” said Jonathan Underland. However, some conservatives who were dismayed by the message stayed away. On Hilton’s side. Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, a Christian nationalist, called the ad “grotesque” and said it promoted lesbianism among young women, in a Facebook Live post Saturday. However, he said he still supports Hilton over Becerra. He did not respond to requests for comment. Hilton is scheduled to speak Monday to a chapter of Log Cabin Republicans, an LGBTQ group, at a brewery in Palm Desert. The organization did not respond to requests for comment. Former California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said that while the ad wasn’t for her, she understood the campaign’s desire to broaden its reach to different voters. “Does the ad speak to me? No. He’s not going after my vote. He already has my vote. He’s trying to think of new and creative ways to make people who normally wouldn’t feel like voting for a Republican feel safe to do so,” he said. “He’s stepping out of his comfort zone and going for people who normally wouldn’t feel comfortable voting for him.” Californian Fred Karger, a Republican who made history in 2012 as the first gay person to run for president, had mixed opinions about the ad, calling it clever but hypocritical. And he questioned its effectiveness. “The audience he’s targeting there — the hipster, young hipster, lesbian audience — probably has a 1% chance of voting for him,” Karger said. “So it’s a long shot. But it’s a smart ad.”
