Steve Hilton, who is running for California governor as a Republican in November, posted a campaign video to X comparing the gas prices between Texas and LA.
The video shows him filling up at a Texas gas station at $3.59 per gallon, then cutting to footage of an LA-area pump showing $8.59. He attributed the price gap to Democratic governance and closed with a direct appeal to voters.
"It's just infuriating," Hilton said in the video. "Gas in California — Iran war, what? It's not the Iran war. It's not Trump. It's Democrat policies."
We are in Texas. Just filled up for $3.59. In L.A. on Monday it was $8.59.
— Steve Hilton (@SteveHiltonx) June 24, 2026
Californians: It's not the Iran war. It's not "Trump." It's Democrat policies that have given us the highest gas prices in America.
You can have $3.00 gas but you have to VOTE for it in November. pic.twitter.com/rXX7FV1oXA
He added, "Democrat policies that are destroying working people and small businesses in California. And that's gonna change in November. You can have $3.00 gas. But you have to vote for it."
Hilton, a former Fox News host whom President Trump has endorsed for governor, will face Democrat Xavier Becerra in the California governor's race this November.
Republicans have not won statewide office in California in 20 years. Hilton has campaigned on slashing spending and regulations, promising to cut the gas tax and boost oil drilling if elected, according to CalMatters.
One commenter offered a sociological theory for why high prices persist in certain states. "I feel like ppl [sic] from CA and NY want things to be high so they can feel exclusive," the commenter wrote. "It seems like a right of passage [sic] for them. But if the price of living dropped in Cali and NY man….. the Rich would not know what to do."
Another commenter asked whether the cause was actually the gas tax. "Is the gas tax the root cause in California?" the commenter wrote. "If @SteveHiltonx is the governor of California, the gas price will drop immediately? Otherwise how long it will take?"
Is the gas tax the root cause in California?
— Primrose (@Prim12365) June 24, 2026
If @SteveHiltonx is the governor of California, the gas price will be drop immediately? Otherwise how long it will take?
The $8.59 figure Hilton cited for Los Angeles is above the current statewide average but reflects prices documented at specific stations in high-cost metro areas. California drivers were paying an average of $6.15 a gallon as of mid-May 2026, the highest in the nation, according to CalMatters.
One commenter wrote, "People driving EVs: better to shut the F up and not justify the gas price hike in California!"
The details above reflect claims shared on X by @SteveHiltonx and reporting by CalMatters. The Daily Dot could not independently verify the specific pump prices shown in the video.
